Nocturne
by karrenia
Summary: Suzee's experiment in hologrpahic interactive adventure takes a turn for the bizarre and it's up to Rosie and Radu to save the crew. revamped version.
1. Default Chapter

Nocturne By: Karen 

EMAIL: 

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Disclaimer: Space Cases, the Christa, and all concepts, themes belong to CINAR and Nickelodeon which are the creations of Bill Mumy and Peter David. They are not mine. I am only borrowing them for entertainment reasons. Takes place somewhere near the beginning of the second season.

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"Castle of Otranto is Hugh Walpole's. The English translation of the original Italian. The characters, story, concept belongs to whoever owns the rights, etc., now. I an only extrapolating. Some quotes from the novel as they 'read' their lines for the reenactment scenes. As before: indicates thoughts

* * *

"I told you this wouldn't work." Bova waited ten whole minutes since from the last gloomy prediction. He bent over and ran his fingers through the tangled jumble of wiring lying at his feet. Bringing the stuff back from the dig near the ship's crash site had been an ordeal. 'And when we did, that space pirate, Reaver, zeroed in on our signal. We got to talk to our parents, so that's something," he thought.

"Bova, you have to be more positive," Rose gently chided, interrupting his thoughts. She flexed her fingers in her yellow, heat insulated gloves. Her normally optimistic outlook had been soured by Bova's predictions. Rsie had been the first to agree to attempt to create an interactive adventure using the ship's computer. 'That's because it sounded like such a fun thing to do'. Suzee wistfully thought.

"Okay, I'm positive this won't work," Bova automatically replied.

"Bova, could you be any more negative?" Suzee turned her head and glared at the Uranusian boy, who simply shrugged it off.

"I don't see what your problem is," Harlan interrupted. "How long have we been at this anyway?"

"Fifteen minutes." Radu blew a lock of ash blond hair away from his eyes. I should be used to Harlan's low threshold of patience by now, he thought, concentrating on holding a power converter steady,

"I mean jury-rigging this place to create, uh, sim? What did you call it, Suzee?" Harlan fidgeted and tugged at the tight black curls he'd acquired since their meeting with the Hil people. Harlan lowered his end of a cable to the floor.

"Holographic virtual environment," Suzee replied in her best technical tones.

"Right, VR, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Harlan remarked.

"Radu, do you hear the Commander or Miss Davenport coming," Suzee asked, as it occurred to her that she hadn't gotten 'official' approval for her experiment.

Radu cocked his head slightly, blocking out the noise of his immediate surroundings. He focused his Andromedan hearing on the sounds coming from elsewhere in the ship.

After a moment, he reported: "The Commander is in the Command Post and Miss Davenport's working on our next lesson plan. It doesn't sound like they're planning on coming this way any time soon."

"Excellent," Suzee replied in satisfaction. "Now, if I can get this programming done. Thelma, hand me the magnetic key tool."

"Ah, magnetic keytool, here it is." Thelma echoed, puttering up beside Suzee and handing her the requested tool.

"Okay, computer, run program," Suzee ordered as she gave the holographic controls one last tweak for good measure. "No reason why this shouldn't work now. Like I need some snobby adult supervision to figure this out after all, I am an engineering genius. "Done," she announced aloud.

"Enter when ready," the computer's modulated voice said as the doors slid open to reveal the banquet hall straight out of some medieval castle.

* * *

The high windows were rounded at the top, the entry to hall itself was spanned by a giant stone arch that each of them, arms outspread to their full extension would not have been able to cover. The cherry-paneled wooden walls shone with a rosy glow from a fireplace in one corner of the room. Beneath their feet, the stone floor had been strewn with fresh cut rushes. High up on the walls, lit torches in carved pewter scones provided light.

'Kinda wish Catalina were here. I bet she would have loved this. But if she were, I wouldn't be. Bother parallel dimensions, anyway," Suzee thought.

"I sort of designed this simulation along the general lines of banquet halls from Old Earth's Middle Ages," Suzee said, aloud, by way of introduction. 'Back when we thought Catalina was talking to herself. Man, it was eerie, watching her talking to the walls, or into thin air, like that.' 

Harlan gave an exaggerated shudder, remembering how much he had teased Catalina about her imaginary-er invisible" friend. "Remember?" he said aloud.

"Well, I do. Invisible or not, I recalled the illustrations of Medieval knights and castles that Miss Davenport brought up from the ship's storage areas," Suzee said.

"Like that Dram guy, the one who thought he was a knight," Rosie added.

"Exactly," Suzee nodded.

"You okay, Suzee?" Radu asked, hearing her heart skip a beat.

"I'm fine," Suzee replied distantly.

"Pretty realistic, Suzee," Harlan remarked as he tugged at the white tights she'd insisted all the guys wear for "period authenticity". Back in the boys bunkroom he had given both Radu and Bova some good-natured ribbing about their skinny legs.

'Gotta admit this gold tunic is pretty rad. According to the script Suzee gave us, I'm supposed to play the part of the prince. Man, I could get used to this.. Harlan thought.

"Banquet hall? Okay, I can do this." Bova took one of the ornate high-backed chairs around the table. Just then Thelma puttered by carrying a loaded serving platter and placed it in the center of the mahogany table. Bova's interest in the adventure began to rise. "I don't know what this is supposed to be, poking the dish with a fork, and idly poking around the bed of leaves it was cooked in.

"It's roast boar, complete with an apple in its mouth," Harlan made a sweep of his arm, and walked towards one of the chairs. He pulled it out for Suzee, "Your chair, madam."

Rosie rolled her eyes and nudged Radu. "Get a load of Prince Charming."

Radu felt warmth rising in his ears, and it wasn't from his Mercurian friend's ability to generate heat. Despite his customary restraint he couldn't resist letting a small grin sneak out. "Maybe all that "period authenticity" is getting to him." He took Rosie's arm, leading her to another chair, and held it out for her. Then took the seat next to her.

A few seconds later Thelma returned with a dish piled high with water glasses and a bottle of champagne. She made a circuit of the table, and popped the cork on, succeeding in spraying Rosie with champagne, and filled all their glasses, then plunked down a platter of warm bread and dish of butter. Rosie just giggled and used a corner of the tablecloth to dab at the stain.

Harlan almost choked on a goblet of wine when he saw the lacy skirt around her midsection, figuring it was the program's version of a "French maid".

Thelma disappeared back to wherever she had come from.

"Hey, this ain't too bad." Bova stuck a fork into and took a cautionary bite of the main course. He closed his eyes and savored the flavor.

"Guys, get in character," Rosie dipped a piece of bread into her water glass, then reached for the butter dish and liberally smeared it on.

"Good idea," Harlan said, trying to wedge the apple out the boar's mouth when Suzee nudged him. "You're Manfred, Bova's Conrad, and I'm Isabella. You have lines. Don't you remember? I assigned each of you a character from an Old Earth novel. "

"Oh? Yeah right," Harlan began, dropping his fork onto his plate with a metallic ping, then rose to his feet.

"Should have rehearsed his lines, then he wouldn't need prompting," Bova said.

"If you get stumped just refer to your Compupad. But as far as acting goes, you're not very good at this," Suzee whispered.

"Uh, I'm not sure about this, but I don't think they would have things like Compupads in Old Earth's middle ages," Radu said.

"Oh, I think he's quite good at acting, at acting innocent," Rosie laughed.

"Okay, now what?" Radu asked, reaching for the bread and breaking it apart on his plate. He gripped the water glass, and took a sip, trying not to shatter the delicate glass.

"Shut up!" Cut me some slack here," Harlan griped as he picked up his Compupad.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I, Manfred, Protector of the Realm of Otranto, am honored to announce the betrothal of my son, Conrad, to Princess Isabella of Verona, on this day, the twelve hundredth and thirsty first year of our Lord," Harlan rattled off all in one breath.

Suzee batted her lashes. "I am honored that one so unworthy as myself would find favor in the eyes of the Lord of Otranto. Should it please mine sire, I would give fealty and marry your son," Suzee replied.

"Ugh," Bova groaned. He slumped a little lower in his chair and in the back of his mind, he knew that if Miss Davenport had seen him like that she would have corrected his posture on the spot, with demerits and all.

"Ah, food. I could eat and eat, and I would die a happy man," Bova sighed. Oops, I'm beginning to sound like Rosie, Bova thought sleepily.

As if something had been waiting for just that cue, Radu was the first to hear a clatter coming from the tiered balconies lining the banquet hall.

For a moment he couldn't be certain, but it sounded a little like fabric rustling against metal, and the grinding of gears. As he concentrated he could have sworn something very heavy was moving that maybe shouldn't have been moving at all.

Radu was distracted when Harlan raised his voice to ask for the bread, and broke his concentration. Reaching for the dish, he saw Bova disappear from view. Wondering if maybe he'd dropped his fork or a napkin, or something, he saw something-black crash down smash the chair to smithereens and bury Bova beneath it.

Rosie screamed. Whatever it was, it had barely missed her. "Harlan, Suzee, help...." she managed to squeak out. Rosie's need to help others outweighed her fear. She jumped out of her chair, and crouched next to Bova. Radu glanced over towards the others, who were absently staring into space, "What's wrong with everybody," he muttered to himself, then went and knelt next to Rosie and Bova.

* * *

"Rosie, does he have a concussion? Why isn't he moving?" Radu asked. He didn't have Rosie's medical knowledge and didn't know much about Uranusian physiology, but a head wound wasn't good for most species. And it certainly couldn't be good for Bova.

"I'm not certain, but I know head wounds aren't good for Earthers. And concussions can't be good for Bova 'cause his antenna is on top of his head, and what with the bleeding," Rosie shook her head. "Radu, could you?"

Radu got a good grip on the suit and shoved it off to one side. He was about to get to his feet again, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Sirrah, how dare you lay hands on royal flesh," Harlan exclaimed, trying to loom over them.

"Harlan, stop acting! This is serious," Radu snapped.

"Mi Lord, I only now recall that I have seen that suit of armour before. Much like the one that adorned the likeness of Alfonso the Good, former prince of Otranto in the Church of St. Nicholas. Ay, 'tis he, 'tis he has stolen the helmet from Alfonso's tomb, and dashed out the brains of our young prince....' Suzee said. As the words came out of her mouth, she was not even consciously aware of having spoken them. The character she was portraying would never have stopped to consider how enormous the disproportion between the suit that must have weighed a ton, and what the odds were that it fall at that exact moment in that exact spot. Nor would it register how impossible it would be for someone to have climbed up the to the balcony, dislodged the heavy armor; and shoved it over the side to crash directly atop its intended victim.

"Uncouth peasant! In what manner dost thou address your betters! Bianca," turning to Rosie, "As head of domestics I entrust you with keeping a tighter rein on your underlings, This one is impertinent and seeks to rise above his proper station." Harlan continued. 'This is treason and it is you who hast slain my son!" Harlan shouted. "What do you call yourself?"

"Harlan, stop it!" Radu exclaimed in frustrated anger.

"Thelma!" Rosie cried.

"Yes, Bianca," Thelma replied, performing her usual trick of appearing out of nowhere when summoned.

"Why is everyone calling me that? Never mind, just get Bova to Medlab, maybe one of the Christa's healing tanks will help," Rosie sighed, as they both helped lift Bova and watched as Thelma carried him to Medlab.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harlan stopped yelling at Radu and went over to Suzee, and placed an arm around her shaking shoulders. Tears streaked her violet eyes. "Dry your tears, young lady - you have lost your bridegroom, yes, cruel fate. And I have lost the hopes of my race! But Conrad was not worthy of your beauty."

"How, My Lord? Sure you do not suspect me of not feeling the concern I ought? My duty and affection would have always...." Suzee began, as she collapsed back into her chair.

"Think no more of him, gentle Isabella," Harlan interrupted, "He is, was a sickly child, and heaven perhaps taken him away that I may not entrust the honours of my house on so frail a foundation, The line of Manfred calls for numerous supports. My foolish fondness for the boy blinded the eyes of my prudence. But it is better as it is,' Harlan as he knelt down next to her.

Determined to play her role to the hilt, Suzee gasped in astonishment. She started, and tore free of his sweaty grip, And Cat said I couldn't act

"Mi Lord, you mistook my mood, the tears I shed are in fact for grief at Conrad's untimely death. And mayhap this sudden public assertion is the pain of your own loss. And think not that I had no affection for your son, had he lived to wed. Do not doubt my tenderness, my heart would have accompanied his hand."

"Fie on that!" Harlan shouted. 'You have missed a husband undeserving of your charms: they shall now be better disposed of. Instead of a sickly boy, you shall have a husband in the prime of his age...." Harlan trailed off. I feel weird, is this stuff really coming out of my mouth? he absently thought.

"Alas," Suzee replied. "My mind is too sadly engrossed by the recent catastrophe in your family to think of another marriage. If ever my father returns, and it shall be his pleasure, I shall obey. As I did when I consented to give my hand to your son. But until his return permit me to remain under your hospitable roof and employ the melancholy hours in assuaging grief," Suzee finished somewhat breathlessly.

"I desired you once before," Harlan shouted in anger. "I'll thank you not to name Hippolita, my wife. From this hour she must be as a stranger to us. Isabella, I cannot give my son, in lieu of that, I offer myself," Harlan announced. 'Man, what a jerk, Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.' 

Suzee shrieked and tore away from his grasp. She bruised her shins on the table in her haste. She whirled around and fled for the exit. Harlan began to chase her, when the torchlight guttered and blinded him for a second. Taking advantage of the delay Suzee, still in the role of her character, fled through the archway.

"Uh, I don't think this is part of the program," Rosie whispered to Radu. 'That doesn't sound like the Harlan I know, and why is he staring at me like that? What's wrong with everybody?' Rosie was miserable. She found the feeling distinctly uncowelcome.

"I'm inclined to agree with you. We'd better go after her," Radu replied, as they both scrambled to their feet and went after Suzee's fleeing form. Taking one glance back, Radu saw Harlan clench a fist, and glare at them both. "Maybe it's just my imagination, but why isn't he helping us?"

* * *

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Later

Having become separated from Radu, Rosie felt very strange, even though she knew it was just a computer program, and that she could order the Christa environmental controls to adjust the temperature at any time, she was freezing. Even her Mercurian ability to control heat wasn't keeping her warm. "Radu!" Rosie called in her high-pitched voice. It echoed down the ship/castle's corridors, sounding especially shrill to her. Having wandered through the halls, tramping up and down countless spiral staircases, she was frightened. And neither Radu nor Suzee had answered her calls. I've never been this cold, and I'm walking in circles," Rosie giggled, then flinched as the echoes bounded off the walls. "Get a grip, Rosie," she told herself aloud. "Radu! Harlan! Suzee! Thelma! Anyone" Rosie shouted. "Where is everybody? This isn't any fun anymore! Help..... I'm scared....."

* * *

Meanwhile, Radu systematically walked up and down the hallways, searching for the others. He was worried. It didn't seem like the program had been running all that long but he was pretty sure that Suzee hadn't mentioned anything about Bova ending up underneath a giant suit of armor. Shortly after supper ended, Harlan or the rather Harlan's character, announced an engagement to Suzee's character, Isabella. No sooner than he'd done so, Bova had disappeared beneath a giant suit of armor, and Harlan went ballistic. Fortunately for Bova, Rosie had Thelma take off to Medlab, so at least one member of the crew whereabouts were accounted for.

Harlan and Suzee had then had launched into some weird monologue, which caused Suzee to flee the room in a panic. At that point, Rosie and he had decided to go after Suzee, who simply had vanished, as if she really had been Catalina's imaginary, uh, invisible friend. "Okay, Radu, think, if you were Suzee, where would you be?"

Just then he heard Rosie yelling his name, interrupting his thoughts. Radu resisted the urge to clap his hands over his sensitive ears, so he could get a fix on her position.

"Rosie, if you can hear me, stand still for a minute. I...." Radu began. He made an 180 degree turn and knocked the small Mercurian girl off her feet as they collided.

"Radu! You have no idea how happy I am to see you! Oompf.."

"Are you all right?" Radu extended a hand to help her up.

"Yeah. Look out behind you! Aieee! A ghost!" Rosie shrieked.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Radu absently remarked, wondering what a ghost was. Did Harlan ever mention something about ghost stories? I wish I could remember what you're supposed to do if you encounter one

"Then what do you call that?" Rosie pointed a trembling finger to an object slightly over his left shoulder and a good ways over his head.

Radu looked in the direction she was pointing. At first he couldn't see anything, and Rosie clutched at his sleeve, her breathing ragged.

"Don't you see him? Ugh, he's wearing the same armor that fell on top of Bova."

Radu was about to say no because he had not heard any footsteps. Just then, a shadowy figure stationed itself at the top of the chevron-shaped arch. The shadows around the arch pulled themselves together. At first, it was shaped like an amorphous cloud. Sort of like oxygen escaping from a broken engine seal, Radu thought.

"It's like he's trying to pull himself together," Rosie remarked, as she narrowed her eyes a bit she could just make out the lineaments of a humanoid figure.

"I think I see him now," Radu whispered.

"What do you want?" Rosie demanded of the apparition.

"Greetings, friends. I am Alfonso. I must needs apologize if my spectral manifestation has unduly disturbed or frightened you. I have waited a long time for someone to come to mine assistance, or heed my message, " the ghost replied.

"You need help? What kind of message?" Rosie's innate need to help overcoming her fear of the ghost.

The ghost, when alive, was probably a quite solid presence, and even in this spectral manifestation had a certain solidity about him. He was covered head to foot in full plate armor. He had his visor raised, and his helmet tucked underneath one arm, which was surmounted by a plume of scarlet and black feathers. The pattern was repeated by a coat of arms on the wall behind him.

Rosie started when the ghost began chanting:

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"Wherever a casque that suits this sword is found."

Radu heard and saw a blade clatter to the floor as the ghost pulled it from its sheath. Radu bent over to pick it up as the ghost continued chanting. It had a long narrow blade, a two-handed weapon with a basket-shaped hilt. Rosie identified the red gem in the hilt as a ruby.

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"With perils is thy daughter compassed shroud,

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Alfonso's blood alone can save the maid.

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And quiet a long restless prince's shade."

Alfonso stopped chanting, and pointed a bony finger at Radu.

"He wants you to have the sword, Radu," Rosie gasped.

'Theodore," the ghost pointing a bony figure towards Radu. " Pay heed, for thou mayest save this unhappy line, for Manfred has usurped this land from the rightful heir to the throne."

"Oh, that is so sad," Rosie sighed.

"Thelma!" Radu said, confused.

"Yes, Radu," Thelma puttered up next to him, he absently noted she'd lost the lace skirt she'd had on earlier.

"How do you do that? Never mind. Do you know where the holographic controls are?

"Affirmative," Thelma replied.

" How do we get access to them?" Radu asked, ignoring the specter hovering patiently above him.

"Great idea!" Rosie added.

"However, due to some unknown glitch in the Christa's system, we may have some difficulty in reaching them," Thelma replied.

"What kind of difficulty?" Radu sighed.

"Due to the glitch, getting in will prove far more difficult than getting out."

"Figures," Radu said.

"If thou has finished consultation with yon automaton, mayhaps thou willst take up the blade that has awaited your hand and depose he who would trample this country into the ground," Alfonso said.

"I don't know exactly what that means, but don't you see, Radu! We've got to help him, and then we can shut off the control mechanism. Then everyone will go back to being themselves again," Rosie exclaimed.

"Okay, let's do it," Radu agreed.

* * *

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In Engineering

"Thelma, you're going to have to tell us what needs to be done, "Radu said, as the three of them arrived in Engineering via the jumbtubes.

"Very well, to access the holographic controls, you must remove the lid to the power converter shaft," Thelma began.

Radu went over to inspect the lid, and curled his hands around its circumference, making sure he had a good grip. He tugged and tugged on it, till it came loose suddenly in his hands. It knocked him several paces back. He dropped the lid, which made a very loud clang on the metal floor. He flinched from the sound, and turned back to Thelma, awaiting further instructions.

"Now what?" Rosie prompted.

"Someone will have to descend into the shaft and defuse the controls that are running the program," Thelma replied.

"I'll go," Radu said.

Rosie put a hand on his shoulder. "No, Radu, that shaft isn't very big. I'm the only one who will fit in there. I'm the one who should go."

Radu saw the determination in her eyes, even though her heart was beating so loud and her breathing was ragged. He glanced at the shaft then at Rosie. How can I let her down? Besides, she can defuse the controls with a heat blast. "Okay, it makes sense. You're the one who should go," he said aloud.

"Just call down the instructions, Thelma, so I can make the repairs." Rosie jumped down the shaft and landed lightly at the bottom next to the holographic controls.

"Rosie, a concentrated heat blast directly into the O-ring near the green button on the console will render the hologram program off-line. Be sure not to damage any of the Christa's other computer systems," Thelma instructed.

"Can you do that?" Radu asked anxiously.

Rosie flexed her fingers in her yellow gloves, "Sure, no problem. Heat control is a natural talent for Mercurians."

Rosie loosed a concentrated heat blast directly into the O-ring and looked up awaiting further instructions from Thelma.

"Now, Rosie, adjust the environmental systems to point one three, three on the inversion scale, then make an adjustment on the system by pressing the red, green, blue, and yellow buttons in sequence, and repeating it once in the same order, and a third time in reverse," Thelma added.

"Like this?" Rosie asked, following Thelma's instructions.

"Exactly," Thelma replied.

"What goes on here?" Harlan's voice asked, Suzee treading on his heels, her hair covering her face, her eyes red from crying.

"You did it, Rosie!" Radu shouted, he leaned over the rim of the shaft, and reached down, and lifted Rosie bodily up to the main floor level. He nearly dropped her when he heard footsteps at the door.

"Guys, great news! We've solved the glitch in the Christa's computer, so now you can all stop acting weird!" Rosie exclaimed, recovering her balance and then went to stand beside to Radu and Thelma.

"Unfaithful servant, Bianca, thou wouldst side with traitors to the realm. I know not what you have done, but it will avail you nothing. I have learned thy name, cur, Theodore, and 'tis seeming that some do think that thou have some claim on my throne. Well, it takes more than mere words to make good that claim."

Harlan pulled off one of his gloves, then strode towards Radu and used to slap his cheeks twice with it.

"Thelma, this was supposed to work, make everyone go back to being themselves" Radu hissed in an undertone. "Why isn't it working?" Radu demanded, ignoring the slap.

"Unknown at this time. Perhaps I have made a calculation error. Checking," Thelma replied.

"Sirrah, I challenge you to a duel. Are you too much of a coward to accept?" Harlan demanded.

Rosie ran over to the side of the shaft where Radu had dropped the sword given to him by the ghost of Alfonso, "Here, I think he's serious about this. If so, you're going to need this."

"I don't want to fight him. That's Harlan. He's my friend. What if I hurt him?" Radu replied, reflexively taking the sword from her.

"Hah, I told you, My lady, he is a coward," Harlan laughed. "En guard." Harlan held out his sword, level with the floor.

"Do you know how to use that?" Rosie asked.

"I've seen holotapes of it. I think I can muddle my way through this. En guard," Radu replied, facing Harlan.

Harlan lunged forward without altering tone, caught Radu's parry on his own hilt with a clatter, and skewed the return blow aside.

"The barest whisper across my chest," Harlan whispered.

Harlan pressed forward, his two-handed grip enabling to keep good control as he swung the sword in wide arcs. Radu leaped backward, and saw an opening, Harlan had a tendency to lean to far forward on the follow through and when he did he had his feet crossed beneath him. Radu tried a whistling arc with his own blade, which helped angle the cut past Harlan's guard. The sword given to him by the ghost of Alfonso flashed, and the red gleam from ruby in the hilt, reflected the dim interior light of the engineering room.

Harlan grinned fiercely and began circling, forcing Radu to counter. Harlan feinted, then lunged, the blow landing with the chill ring of metal against metal. Radu countered, trying not to use his full strength, not wanting to harm him.

Having to fight his friend like this, Radu forgot to watch where he was going, and nearly stumbled over the open shaft leading to the holographic controls. Harlan saw that as his opening and landed a glancing blow on Radu's shoulder.

Nearby, Rosie was on her knees next to Thelma, fists clenched at her side, "Hurry, hurry, Thelma, fix the glitch, please, I hate to see them like this!"

Radu's slender sword and Harlan's heavy one spun in and out in an intricate dance of silver light, ringing their own accompaniment. Harlan feinted again, and knocked Radu's sword from his hands. Radu staggered and glanced around. He saw the lid to the shaft and picked it up.

"Guess who won?" Harlan grinned.

"Nobody, Harlan. Sorry, but I have to do this." With that, Radu rolled the lid like a bowling ball towards Harlan, knocking his weapon from his hand, and Harlan off his feet. The lid crashed into the wall.

"Hey, buddy, what are you doing over there?" Harlan said cheerfully.

"I told you so," Suzee added.

"You told me what?" Harlan asked, confused.

"I have repaired the glitch, normal functioning of the ship, and established parameters for the crew should reset themselves momentarily," Thelma announced.

Everyone just glanced at everyone else after Thelma made her announcement.

"I shall reiterate if my previous statement was unclear...." she trailed off.

* * *

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Bova yawned, ignoring that he nearly landed on top of Goddard as they all but arrived simultaneously out of the jumptubes.

"Bova, you're all right!" Rosie exclaimed, as she ran over to hug him.

"That's a matter of opinion. My head feels like it's about to explode, and could someone please explain why the Commander had to wake me up in one of the Christa's healing chambers? I was having such a unpleasant dream too," Bova said.

Goddard glared at Bova, who wisely went silent. "What the hell is going on here? I was in Command Post, running a routine diagnostic, when I started getting these sporadic power spikes all over the ship. Someone had better have a good explanation for this," he demanded.

"Commander, a unauthorized reprogramming of the ship's holographic controls caused the 'ship' to download alien personality parameters into various members of the crew, causing to believe themselves to be the characters they were portraying. If the controls had not be defused and rest, eventually their own identities would have been erased," Thelma replied.

"If you have to place the blame somewhere, Commander, blame me. I just wanted to experiment with virtual reality, and using the Christa's holographic controls seemed like the ideal means of doing so," Suzee explained. "How was I to know that it would cause everyone to start acting like morons," she added, tossing her head.

"Morons? Who you calling a moron?" Harlan demanded.

"Stop it!" Goddard hissed in exasperation.

"Commander, might I add, that Rosie, Radu, and I were able to make the necessary repairs. No harm done, although perhaps it would be best to have Rosie give Bova a through medscan to ascertain he has no internal injuries," Thelma added.

"We shut off the controls, Commander! Rosie exclaimed, "That means everyone has gone back to being themselves."

"Why weren't we affected like the others?" Rosie wondered.

"Oh, that's because the glitch interrupted the holographic controls, as well as the environmental controls. A chemical with hallucinatory properties leaked into the water supply," Thelma explained.

"But we drank the same stuff as the rest of them," Radu muttered.

"Perhaps the chemical has a harder time interacting with Andromedan and Mercurian physiology," Thelma guessed.

"Actually, Thelma," Goddard mused. "Now that you mention it, it might be a good idea, if everyone had a full medical physical. They're probably way overdue anyway. No arguments," he added, as there was a group groan. Turning to face Suzee, he added, "As for you, young lady, your headstrong initiative caused this problem, and if you'd pay attention to proper ship protocol, you're supposed to come to me, or Miss Davenport, before going ahead with your little experiments."

"But, Commander..." Suzee gasped.

"No ands, if, or buts, I don't want to hear it. That goes for everyone. And Rosie and Radu, good job. Thelma, I'll want to check with you later, for a system wide diagnostic. In the meantime, it's late. I want you all to get some sleep."

"Yes, Sir," everyone replied.

"It's getting late. I'll see everyone at Command Post at 0800 hours. Don't be late." Goddard ordered.

"Affirmative. ComPost at 0800," Harlan saluted.

"Command Post, not ComPost. Space-age smartalecks," Goddard said, leaning up against the nearest wall and watched everyone leave for their bunkrooms.

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The End

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	2. Diamonds in the Rough

diamonds 

Disclaimer: Space Cases and related characters, events, and concepts  
are the creation of Bill Mumy and Peter David. They belong to CISNAR  
and Nickelodeon network. They are not mine, they are just borrowed for  
the purposes of the story. The Lumare Children were found in a from the Great  
Fairies Encyclopaedia complied by Pierre Dubois. Laume's speech from  
W.B Yeats poem (_He Bids His Beloved be at Peace circa 1899)_  
Inspired by the 2nd season episode "**Both Sides Now."**  
In immediate sequence of my stories, follows "**Nocturne"**

"Diamonds in the Rough" by Karen

"Terra forming." Davenport began in bright tones as she glanced expectantly at her students, awaiting if not attentive looks, she'd settle for mental alertness.

Believing that she had at last found a subject that would maintain their distressingly low threshold of attention span. She seized upon the subject of manipulating a planet to make it more Earth like. At last a topic guaranteed to stimulate their interest!' she thought with excitement._ 'If this doesn't work, I do not know __what will. And if the Commander thinks teaching is easy, Hah!' _Davenport thought swiping her palm across the control console and ordered the Christa's computers to bring up the image of the planet Mars on the view screen. to reveal polar ice caps as the ever-present wind whipped red dust into gigantic sand dunes and canyons.

"It just a dumb desert," Bova complained._'And I was having such an unpleasant dream,' he thought._

"Why do we have to study this?" Harlan complained. "It' not like we're ever going to need it."

"Space is very unforgiving. You may not think you need to learn this subject; assuming we do return to the Star Academy," Davenport replied.

"Miss Davenport, may I be excused?" Suzee interrupted, raising her hand, "May I be excused?"  
_I could look this stuff up any time I wanted to; besides I've got more important stuff to do,_  
_like increasing the efficiency of the engines. Maybe I could increase the ion flow...."_

"No, You may not. I am only trying to give you a foundation on which to build  
from," Davenport replied, exasperated.  
_"Hmmph, I know they were failing their classes back at the Star Academy, but_  
_did any other teacher have this much trouble with their students?_

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with us? Someday I'll be a Stardog. Someday  
I'll have my own command. And I'll have other people to handle things like that."  
Harlan blustered.

"Harlan, would you please be quiet. I want to hear about this," Radu said.  
'_Why does he have to make such a big fuss about everything. _

"Well, look on the bright side. Mercury would never have been habitable if the  
first colonists had not' been able to use their know-how in using scientific means  
to terra from the planet," Roise added.

Davenport beamed at Rosie, pleased with her comment.  
"Excellent insight, Rosie, please elaborate."

"Well, I guess, the easiest planets to terraform would be, those planets that are  
most earth like," Rosie began.

"There's one thing I don't understand, if it took terraforming to make planets  
like Mercury, Saturn, and Uranus, uh, livable, why hasn't the UPP established  
any colonies on Mars," Radu asked.

"Mars is the best candidate in our the Sol System because it has canals, but there's no water. It has magnetic poles, but the ice caps, but no water. And the atmosphere isn't one that is compatible with most carbon based life forms," Davenport answered.

"Why did they select it for terraforming?" Suzee asked.

"Good question. The first step would be to warm up the atmosphere. Dark dust,  
could be sprinkled across the surface. The black layer would absorb the heat,  
and warm up the surface of the planet. Giant mirrors placed in orbit could  
concentrate sunlight to the polar caps, melt them, and provide enough  
water and carbon dioxide. Colonies would start at the bottom of the deep  
canyons where the gravity is denser," Davenport explained.

"I've heard somewhere that a thick layer of permafrost exists under the  
Martian surface, " Harlan said, interested despite some doubts.

"Yes, if so, that layer could be released and combined with the carbon dioxide  
melted from the poles, it might provide the start of a more human friendly atmosphere," Suzee added.

"As stated, much of this is already in effect, on many of your home worlds,  
which should be incentive enough to learn the material," Davenport concluded.

"All hands to Command Post," Commander Goddard ordered, as the message  
went out through the ships intercom system.

"All right, everyone heard the Commander, class dismissed," Davenport said,  
as she watched the kids make a beeline for the jumptubes. A bottleneck occurred  
as Suzee and Harlan crowded each other, causing the others to bump into each  
other. They finally sorted themselves out and headed for the Command Post.

"On screen," Harlan said, as the Christa's computers responded to the verbal  
command. The planet's most striking features were a series of dark streaks that  
criss-crossed the entire globe. The largest ones were roughly 20 kilometers across  
with random outer edges and a central band of light almost pastel orange and  
off-white.

"Amazing, " Suzee remarked absently, a planet whose surface shows no evidence  
of craters, which probably means little or no meteorite activity."

"Excellent, Suzee. I think this is a good educational opportunity," Davenport said.

"It looks like some giant billiard ball, you know for playing pool," Harlan said,  
cringing a little when what he thought of his good insight earned him an icy  
glare from Miss Davenport. _Man, she thinks I can't do anything right_

"I've done a computer scan of the planet, it has a breathable atmosphere, a little  
oxygen and water vapor. It should be safe enough to explore," Rosie added.  
_I just hope this is right, Suzee will be fine what with her gills and all, but_  
_what if I'm wrong and something happens to the others? Cheer up, Rosie,_  
_you're starting to sound like Bova_

"Any natives we should be worried about," Harlan asked.

"None that I can tell," Bova replied after minute. "Maybe they're just too  
scattered for the ship's scanners to locate."

"Mr. Radu, find us a safe place to land," Goddard said.

"Give me a moment," Radu replied, as he made some calculations and then  
consulted the displays on his navigation console. After a minute or so, he looked  
up. "Head for 231 on the Y axis , coordinates 090 on 123. There should be a  
a clearing large enough to accommodate a ship the size of the Christa."

"Take us down, Mr. Band," Goddard ordered.

"Not too shabby, even if I do say so myself," Harlan grinned as he brought the  
Christa to a smooth landing. "We've been cooped up in the Christa a long time,  
Commander. Don't you think we should take the opportunity to explore  
the planet."

"I may regret this, but the crew has been working extra hard lately, and everyone  
could probably use the time off. Very well, shore leave granted. You have six  
hours. If it all possible stay together, and if you have to split up, go in-groups of  
two. Meet back at the ship," Goddard said.

"Yes!" the group said as one.

"May I remind everyone that this is a privilege and may be revoked," Davenport  
said.

"Don't worry, Miss Davenport, I've got everything under control," Harlan replied.

"Famous last words," Goddard muttered under his breath as he watched the crew  
scramble for the exit. I_s it too much to ask for a little military decorum on this_  
_ship? On the other hand_. He turned to Miss Davenport who had been leaning  
against the wall where the jumptubes were located. She had her arms folded over her chest.  
She smiled, a vague thinning of her lips.

Goddard bent over Rosie's console for a moment, long enough to bring up a topographical map of the vicinity, to discover  
they were within walking distance of a lake. _It wouldn't be strictly against_  
_regulations to have a little R& R. Heaven knows, after being saddled with a bunch_  
_of failing cadets for students, we deserve some shore leave._

With that running through his head, he suited action to thoughts, "Miss Davenport, what say we take  
a well deserved break, explore this place ourselves, there's a lake nearby and."

"That sounds wonderful," Davenport smiled, and brought a hand up to brush a  
stray lock of red hair that the heat had plastered to her forehead. "It shouldn't take  
but a moment, and I'll have the makings of a picnic put together, just leave all the  
preparations to me," she rattled off all in one breath, as she activated the jumptube  
controls.

A while later, Goddard, who spent the intervening time, impatiently tapping his  
foot on the metal deck plates, wondering what exactly she had in mind for a picnic,  
found out, when she came back via the jumptubes. Her reappearance preceded by  
a woven rattan basket, a red-and-white checkered blanket, and two bottles; one  
his favorite scotch, only used for special occasions, and her favorite, sparkling  
cataba juice. "T.J, we couldn't need all of this, just for a short hike to a lake," he  
protested, but was cut off, when she carefully placed the stack of supplies into  
his arms, and gently but firmly steered towards the ship's exit.  
  
Interlude

They found the lake Goddard had spotted, with relative ease, having to climb a  
slight incline leading towards it. The lake was enclosed by a shallow valley, which  
sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, lined by a ring of trees that Goddard could only  
identify as relatives of rowan and willows. The sand lining the beach was sparkling  
white, which meant there'd been volcanic activity in the past. He set down his  
armload of supplies. It certainly made for a beautiful setting. Davenport picked up  
a handful of sand, then let it trickle through her fingers.

"This is a perfect spot, Seth. I am so glad you thought of it," Davenport said as she  
spread the blanket on the sand, and began opening the basket.

He walked over to the spot she had chosen, and helped lay out the various dishes  
she had brought, and opened the bottles one by one, and popped the corks. He  
almost found himself blushing when was distracted by her silvery laughter as some  
of the scotch splattered onto his uniform.

"Okay, so I wouldn't make a very good waiter in a fancy restaurant," Goddard  
laughed, as they sat down and began eating, just enjoying the comfortable  
silence of each other's company.

_Meanwhile_

From the shadow of the incline Goddard and Davenport had climbed to reach the  
lake, several pairs of soulful brown eyes peered out, but they weren't interested in  
the pair at the lake; for it only took them a few seconds to make sure they would  
be settled for a while. Then they turned their glances in the direction the  
strangers had come from. Emerging from the shadows, they rose into the air, as  
if rising on bubbles of air, they glided like the wisps of cloud overhead, in the  
opposite direction.

The half dozen women glided leisurely along, and hovered over the Christa,  
pausing as in confounded by something. They glanced from one to the next,  
seeming to understand without the need for speech what needed to be done.  
Landing on top of the silver ship, they passed their hands in unison, making  
circular motions and melted seamlessly into the Christa's hull.

Thelma, the shipboard android, whom had assumed watch duty on the bridge,  
while everyone else was away, suddenly confronted the intruders.  
"I am Thelma, techno-organic, human-emulating-machine, please identify."

The intruders were all female; they wore long pleated skirts with floral motifs,  
the hems and sleeves embroidered in gold thread. They stared at  
Thelma with brown eyes, then without a word being spoken, instructions flooded  
into Thelma's mind.

_Through the great song, we sing no more, but there's our delight in what we  
once were, broken pebbles on the shore, under the receding tide_

_I hear the Shadowy Horses, their long manes a-shake/ Their hoofs heavy with  
tumult, their eyes glimmering white; The North unfolds above them, clinging  
creeping night. The East hidden joy before the morning break, The West weeps  
in pale dew and sighs passing away. The South is pouring down roses of  
crimson fire; O vanity Sleep, Hope, Dream, endless Desire. The Horses of  
Disaster plunge in the heavy clay; " Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your  
heart beat, Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's  
lonely hour in deep twilight of rest, and hiding their tossing manes and their  
tumultuous feet""._

"Too much input...."Thelma muttered, as her cybernetic mind was overloaded with virtual images and rhyming syllables.

"That does not compute with my internal processor..."…Cannot analyze language, unable to.... " Thelma said, collapsing into a metal heap on the floor of the Command Post.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The crew chose not to split up and wandered around, their progress  
somewhat hindered by the fact, they made several stops while everyone went to  
look at something the others apparently couldn't see. Which was becoming  
rather eerie, as Bova put it, convinced that something was following them,  
mimicking their steps, moving when they moved, stopping when they stopped.

"I tell you, it was there again, just beyond the copse of trees," Bova insisted as he  
half walked, half-turned towards the others, when he bumped into a building  
constructed entirely of glass. The panels were laid square upon glass square. It  
was completely roofed over and slanted to admit maximum sunlight. Inside, they  
could see that someone or something had taken a lot of care of the flowering  
shrubs and flowers.

"You know, back on Earth, my Mom had a hothouse," Harlan remarked.

"Why a hothouse?" Rosie asked. "Do they keep it at a really high temperature?"

"Kind reminds of the Bio-Sphere on the Christa," Bova replied, recalling an  
incident when the Eaty had accidentally been brought aboard while they'd been  
doing mineral surveys. Eaty had grown big enough to eat the entire ship.  
He glared at Harlan, when he remembered Harlan's joke about using the  
vacuum in reverse, and shooting him into space. _I get no respect,_ he thought to  
himself.

Rosie peered around the corner of the glass-enclosed hothouse, then jumped up  
in surprise as a strange figure approached.

"What's wrong, Rosie?" Suzee asked, when she noticed Rosie's fixed stare.

"I don't know," Rosie muttered, as she pointed around the corner of the hothouse.  
"I know we've never been here before, so how can that person look so familiar?"

"You're imagining things. Happens to me all the time, especially when I having a  
really rotten day," Bova offered, ignoring the blank stares he received from the  
others.

"I don't think you're imagining things, Rosie. Do you think the natives go around  
floating in midair?" Harlan said.

"Is that a ghost?" Radu whispered to Rosie just as the figure drew nearer, its gossamer outline recalling to his mind the ghost of Alfonso

from Suzee's holographic virtual reality program.

"That's not a ghost, Radu. I wish I could say exactly what it was," Rosie said.

The woman floated closer, her body sheathed in clothing so gauzy it might have  
been woven of pure quicksilver. Fog cloaked her feet as it swirled up from the  
ground. Her silver cascaded down her back and her blue eyes gleamed in the  
sunlight. She lifted her arms and when they had reached their full extension, a  
set of white, feathery wings arched as if for flight. She launched herself forward  
as if for flight with outflung arms, wings spread behind her, and the air thundered.

All the kids could do was stare dumbfounded, too overcome by awe to feel  
afraid, until she careened through the air so close that her fingers lightly touched  
each of them.

Suzee gasped as strands of her rainbow hair came out in tufts. She reached up and  
ran her fingers through it as if searching for an elusive itch._ I can find out what's_  
_going on a lot easier if I used my telepathy_," Suzee thought, her eyes turning  
purple, 'that is, if I can maintain eye contact, " she muttered to herself.

Bova's innate pessimistic attitude kicking into high gear, he instinctively  
prepared an electric charge from his antenna, _Why doesn't anybody ever listen_  
_to me, I told them we were being followed_

Radu clapped his hands over his sensitive Andromedan ears as a sound like the  
buzzing of hundreds of bees grew louder and louder. I know we're supposed to  
be frightened, but why does this feel familiar somehow?

Harlan moved forward, not unlike being in a waking dream, hesitantly he  
stretched out a trembling hand and touched the wings.

"Do not be alarmed, I mean no harm to any of you," the woman said, he crystal  
blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "Don't you recognize me?" I should  
wanted to find a better way of interacting with all of you."

Meanwhile, Goddard and Davenport returned to the landing site, after having  
thoroughly enjoyed a rare chance to unwind by the lakeshore. Their pleasant  
feeling didn't last long, however because the first thing that was off, was the  
moonlight that should have been reflecting off the Christa's silver hull, only came  
from glass shards scattered haphazardly in the middle of an oval shaped crater.

"And Suzee said this planet didn't have meteor activity, shows what she knows,"  
Davenport primly said.

"T.J, that isn't the issue. We have a problem on our hands," Goddard said, his  
good mood evaporating like smoke. He began inspecting the landing site, had he  
not known there'd been a ship there, he could have sworn it was a naturally occurring crater.

"Do you think someone could have flown of with the ship?" Davenport asked.

"Unlikely. Thelma's there, and if someone managed to get past her, the ship  
wouldn't have responded to them, it barely lets me pilot it," Goddard muttered  
over his shoulder.

"Commander, whoever or whatever is responsible for the ship's disappearance,  
they left something behind," she replied, bending over to pick up a white feather,  
a scrap of cloth, and one of Thelma's gloves.

"What?" Godddard snapped, his boots crunching on glass shards.

"I found Thelma, or more to the point, what's left of her," Davenport replied,  
as she continued gathering up pieces that belonged to the android, all told, they  
ended up with about 50, and went back to the narrow table shaped ledge that  
lined the approach to the landing site. "This seems a good a place as any to repair  
Thelma,' she added, sorting out the pieces.

"Let's repair Thelma, she may be able to tell us what happened," he answered,  
"Then we'll find the kids and get to the bottom of this."

Davenport nodded, then checked her timepieces on her wrist, "They should have  
been back by now, do you think something's happened to them?"

"I don't want to guess, I want to know."

"If you had to?"

"I wonder if the kids did come back and were 'carried away with the ship." he  
grimly said, concentrating on assembling Thelma, he rocked back on his heel as  
he straightened an arm that had developed an unnatural bend in it. Heaving a  
sigh of relief; the damage to Thelma wasn't as severe as it had appeared, the arm  
easily adjusted back to its original position, just like rubber. Their conversation  
afterwards was limited to him asking for parts as they put the android back  
together.

The moon had come out, a shallow crescent framed by clouds, when they finished.  
Thelma eyes blinked and she listed slightly to one side like an overloaded ship,  
then to the other. Goddard and Davenport helped her adjust her equilibrium.  
They waited until she finished her recitation on the meaning of her name.

"Thelma," Davenport, "Can you tell us what happened here?"

"From the beginning," Goddard added.

"From the beginning" she echoed, "Very well. First the universe was void and  
without form, then there was a big bang." Thelma rattled off without hesitation.

"The condensed version" Goddard interrupted.

"Condensed? Some of my memory seems to have been erased in the last three  
hours, Commander. However, I do remember taking watch in the Command Post,  
normal functioning of the ship continued until 1500 hours, when the intruders came aboard."

"Intruders, " Davenport exclaimed.

"What did they do? Are the kids all right?" Goddard asked.

"They overwhelmed by logic circuits," Thelma said.

"The answer to your second question lies not with yon automation," a woman's  
voice replied, the source of the voice was hovering about five feet above his head.

Goddard, irritated, cranky, and uncomfortable, craned his neck, and made an 180 degree turn in the direction the voice had come from, only to see a woman with feathered wings sprouting from her shoulder blades, and a half dozen women, floating through the air. Behind this strange entourage was the rest of the crew. Goddard would have laughed at the image he created, of lost goslings following their mother, if the situation had been a laughing matter. It was NOT.

"I want answers, people, and I want them Now!" Goddard yelled as soon as the  
kids were within shouting range.

"Commander, I. Then again, maybe you already, ah, the hell with it, you're not gonna believe me if I told you," Harlan dusky black skin turned a shade paler as he fumbled for the right words.

"You should ask the Christa," Suzee interrupted without missing a beat. "They granted her 'wish,'  
If you ask me, its not at all logical, not it the least."

"Kinda gives new meaning to the phrase, 'be careful what you wish for', doesn't it," Bova muttered under his breath.

"I heard that, Mr. Bova, you mean to tell me, that, the woman," Davenport,  
on the verge of fainting by now, 'IS the Christa?"

"Who's responsible for this?" Goddard demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

"Greetings, Commander, we are the Laume," it seemed as if all six spoke as  
one, except only one represented the others.

"We greet you, we offer our apologies for any pain or grief we may have caused you.

We only felt the empathic need of the Christa as it yearned for a more, immediate interaction with your crew. We sensed her  
need, and we granted her wish." All six stopped hovering and alit on the ledge- shaped boulder used to repair Thelma.

"Wonderful," Davenport sighed.

"Perhaps I made a terrible mistake, for none of you recognize me. May I share? From the moment all of you came aboard, we bonded, that bond is still there, and the longer we travel together the stronger the bond will grow. The Laumes were capable of granting my wish, all I wanted was to experience the emotions, the feelings of what it was like to be human. I am sorry," the transformed Christa wept, silver tears spring from her violet eyes.

"Christa, we are linked, from the brief moment of experiencing what it was like to be human. I understand why you would subconsciously make that wish. However, think of the crew, what more will they endure if they are stranded on this planet, with no means of returning home. That is what they really want," Thelma said.

"Thelma, you are right," The transformed Christa nodded, lifting her head, her  
eyes violet eyes shimmering, "Laumes, change me back," she said.

"Your wish is our command," the spokeswoman replied.

The transformed Christa leapt into the air and glided towards the oval shaped  
crater. Upon landing a sudden glittery curtain of silver fire surrounded her and in her place the Christa's familiar shape was restored. The white feathery wings replaced by the gold metal wings that were her solar sails.

"Let's get out here," Goddard ordered, exhausted, heaving a sigh that came  
from the bottom of his boots, and ended at his hairline.

_Conclusion_

"I don't understand why the Laume gave the Christa a humanoid form," Radu  
said, puzzled, as he leaned forward on his navigation console, inputting the coordinates as the Harlan piloted them away from the planet.

"Why did they?" Suzee asked.

"They were able to give the Christa a humanoid form because the ship is composed of both techno and organic components," Thelma replied,

" Because the Laume tapped directly into the ships morphgenic matrix thereby allowing them to grant the Christa's wish, resulting in...." she cocked her head to one side as if puzzling something through, ' a makeover,' she concluded.

"One thing I don't understand," Bova began.

"One thing?" Harlan interrupted.

"As I was saying," Bova continued, "If Thelma is in tune with the ship, why did they take her out of the way first?"

"Because, " Thelma replied, "Per my design specifications, I am so in tune with the Christa, I would have negated the ship's 'wish'

and the morphogenic matrix would have fizzled out."

"The same way Thelma was given a human form when Miss D downloaded too  
much data from the Infocore! And we all turned into each other!" Harlan  
exclaimed.

'I really don't think that's a good idea," Davenport began, blushing almost as red as her hair.  
She did not appreciate being reminded of that incident.

'Wait a minute," Radu said, "Are you saying that the Laumes granted a 'wish' the  
Christa made, like, uh, what are those things called again, : Harlan, the spirits that  
live in rings and bottles,,,

"Genies, Radu, they're called genies," Harlan replied.

"You're saying the ship made a wish and it was granted?" Davenport exclaimed.

"Affirmative," Thelma replied, nodded.

"Regardless, let's put this incident behind us, and concentrate on getting back to the Star Academy," Goddard said.

* * *

Space Cases Nocturne  
Space Cases Glimmerings 


	3. Chapter 3 Glimmerings

Glimmerings By Karen

* * *

Disclaimer: Space Cases and all related characters, events, concepts belong to Nickelodeon, CINAR and are the creations of Bill Mumy and Peter David. They are not mine! I am only borrowing them. They will be returned intact after the end of the story. In any case, in the sequence of my stories, follows "**Diamonds in the Rough".**

* * *

As they wandered the narrow byways of the Barill IV marketplace, the kids paused now and then to examine a curiosity that caught the eye. Bova was almost sleep walking, throughout their search for a statue that Miss Davenport had ordered while Harlan led them down a blind alley, their tenth of the afternoon, forcing them to backtrack ontheir own route.

"We're lost," Bova yawned, listing to one side.

"No, we're not, " Harlan defensively replied, folding his arms across his chest. "I just don't know where we are."

"If you'd let me..." Radu began, but Harlan waved him aside as he tried to recall the map from memory.

Suzee wiped sweat from her forehead and glanced up at the sky. She wondered how the marketplace managed to absorb so much heat. Rosie and Radu were looking at a collection of brass jars and plates, and a few pieces of pottery; oblivious to the heat. Thelma, whom they'd brought along as a reference source, in case no one remembered the ins and outs of Bariellan art they'd been drilled in during their last test, cocked her head to one side; as if listening to a distant voice calling out to her, attracted little attention.

All the same, Suzee glanced around at the variety of people frequenting the marketplace; the place apparently was a crossroads of trade. No one was paying any attention to them, except the merchants who were hoping for a sale.

Suzeelost her train of thought when she was jostled by a caravan driver, whose cart animals broke loose from their traces and began caroming through the crowd, knocking people aside, left and right. Over the clamor of the swearing driver, outraged shoppers and merchants, she could hear Harlan's good-natured laughter as he gave Radu a comradely slap on the shoulder. Radu had instantly dropped the bronze tripod he'd been showing Rosie, and clapped his hands over his sensitive ears as the soon as noise began escalating.

"I think that was worth every cent of the last dirhams we spent on the game' guess which shell it's under," Harlan laughed, pointing towards the irate caravan merchant, who by now had retrieved the reluctant animals. He narrowed his eyes to slits as he glimpsed a scrawny child make off with a man's coin purse.

_Okay, so maybe Miss D wasn't being paranoid, after all, when she told us to keep the money in our pouches and wear them underneath our clothes. Still, it is nice having 'spending money' for a change,_ _even if it is the local Bariellan currency. _

"Maybe, maybe not, Bova replied, We've been walking around this stupid marketplace all day, and we still haven't found that malachite figurine Miss Davenport ordered."

"You know, Harlan, I could hear exactly where the ball was being placed every time, if you had let me help you, you wouldn't be out all those dirhams," Radu said. _I know that part of our emergency training means that we're supposed to 'blend in' with the locals, whatever that means. But why are we all dressed in these multi-colored robes? We're decently covered, I suppose I should be happy about that_

"Yeah, maybe, Radu, but don't you see, its the element of chance which makes it fun!" Harlan waved his arms about, which threatened to topple a precariously stacked display of brass pots and wicker baskets.

While Harlan was going on about games of chance and odds, whether the game was 'fixed', Suzee picked up a gold necklace and held it up to admire how it reflected the sunlight. The one she picked looked as if someone had taken gold nuggets and polished them to within an inch of their lives then strung them together with a wire-thin chain. She sighed longingly, mentally calculating how much the necklace cost in comparison with how many dirahms she had left. Without actually putting it on, she held it up to her throat just to see how it would lie against her neck _Gorgeous, but way too expensive_, she wistfully thought, and placed it back into the velvet-lined display box. As she did so, the eager light of a possible sale faded from the merchant's eyes.

* * *

They moved on, finally locking onto the booth where the malachite figurine Miss Davenport had ordered was waiting for them, made of malachite, a green stone streaked with white down its middle. It was a statue of a woman in flowing robes, and feathery white wings sprouted from her back.  
Money exchanged hands, and the merchant produced a velvet box from underneath his booth, wrapped the figurine in cloth, and handed it to Rosie.

"Okay, we found it. Can we head back to the ship now," Rosie muttered, yawning.

* * *

"Thelma, can I look at the map again?" Suzee asked, as they took shelter from the blazing sun in a currently deserted stall where the absent owner had put up a leather awning for shade.

"Certainly. One moment, "Thelma replied, then adopted that 'faraway' look she got when she was communing with the Christa, a moment later, she brought hers played fingers of both hands up to her mouth, and pulled several centimeters long of what looked like carbon paper, with the map printed on it. "I think we're picking up eye-tracks," Bova whispered to Rosie, trying to read the map over her shoulder.

"You're imagining things," Rosie replied, turning the map right side up.

"I am not, I just got this creepy feeling that somebody's watching us," Bova said, tapping her on the shoulder, electricity sub-consciously sparking from his antenna.

"Don't be ridiculous," Suzee said. "Why would anyone be following us?"

"We're late for the rendezvous," Radu said.

Whatever else he would have added was lost as the leather awning blew away in a cold gust of wind that was jarringly out of place in the stifling heat of the marketplace.

"Great, there goes our map," Bova muttered.

"They call me the Guide, for I am come to offer you guidance on these treacherous byways." He wore good quality cloth, dyed a blue-black shade; an intricate interlaced pattern in silver banded his chest. He wore his black hair in short, no longer than the tips of his ears. His eyes were coal-black embers.

"What do you want in return?" Harlan demanded.

"In return? Why nothing, nothing except the favor of anonymity with your company, of course," he replied. He bowed, with his hand over his heart, a vague thinning of his narrow mouth that passed for a smile. "Ahmed al Medsera, at your service."

"Harlan, I don't think we should ," Radu began, but was interrupted as Ahmed snatched the map from out of the air, and tore into thin strips.

"Irrelevant. Using that map, you only would have become more lost then you already are. One of the endearing things about Baril, is that all roads are designed to wind about as circuitous a route as the winding of snakes. In the spirit of brevity, my friends, it means that the way forwards is often the way backwards. Unless you know how to avoid the pitfalls, you eventually meet yourself coming and going."

"Huh?" they said as one.

"You're saying this place is a maze?" Bova groaned, "We don't need this guy to tell us that, I figured that out three hours ago."

"In essence, in order to get to a particular destination, you must act like you do not wish to get to that place, its is called disassociation, but I digress. Follow me, my friends, as I said before, I shall guide along these treacherous byways," Ahmed continued ignoring Bova's pessimistic remark, moving off in another direction at a rapid pace, forcing everyone to stumble along after him.

* * *

They came to a rock formation half-hidden by shrubbery and trees. In the ground there was a brass ring about the same size as the plates they'd seen in the marketplace.

"This can't be a short-cut?" Harlan gasped, out of breath.

"This way, this way, "Ahmed encouraged, "Ah, we're here.

"Where is Here?" Suzee demanded.

"You'll see," Ahmed replied nonchalantly, smiling.

Suzee was seriously beginning to dislike that smile, it showed all of Ahmed's very sharp, very white teeth.

Ahmed turned his attention away from here to Radu, "If you would," he began, pointing to the brass ring in the stone that camouflaged the entrance to the rock formation. Radu heaved a sigh that came from the bottom of his boots and  
ended up at the roots of his hair. He knelt down beside the ring and curled his hands around it, until he had a good grip. Then he heaved at the ring until it came out, forcing him to stumble several paces back. He dropped the ring, and  
gasped in surprise, when Harlan helped back to his feet.

With the lid removed, the entrance to the cave was revealed, and Ahmed waved everyone forward, and watched as everyone clambered through the narrow opening one by one.

Rosie and Bova, being the smallest, fit through without any problem. Harlan and Radu were forced to do a slight wriggle, but made it.

When it came Suzee's turn, she balked at first, then glaring at everyone in visual range, she bit her lips and climbed through, _I am not claustrophobic, and I am not afraid_ _of some stupid cave _she angrily thought.

Surprisingly, the interior of the cave was as wide as it was long, allowing them to stand upright. They followed Ahmed along the twisting paths, watching carefully where they placed their feet to avoid tripping over pitted cracks in the limestone  
rock floor. Harlan had long ago shed his multi-colored robes in favor of the gray jumpsuits issued to all StarCademy cadets, seeing the sense of that, the rest had followed suit, when they began ripping and snagging on stalagmites.

* * *

Interlude

"Hey, Rosie, check this out," Bova called, lagging behind as usual, as she turned around and came over to him. They crouched down near a crevice in the wall. He breathed in out slowly, taking scientific interest in how his air test of the openings emitted a white fog just like one's breath does on a cold day. "That's odd, the temperature in here should be constant. Did you bring your Compupad?" Bova asked, turning his head so that he faced Rosie who hovered nervously as his shadow.

"Caves are supposed to keep a constant temperature, " Rosie nodded.

"Yeah, so where's this cold air coming from?"

"I don't know," Rosie shrugged.

When they finally straightened up, stiffly, they discovered everyone else had moved on without them. "Typical," Bova muttered under his breath.

"Guys! Wait up!" Rosie jumped as the sound of her own high-pitched voice floated back to her. Glancing at each other, Bova and Rosie ran in the direction they had last seen them, calling out to wait for them. But either the acoustics of the place, or the distance, for no one answered.

"You know, this reminds me of the time I discovered that phase-through program, okay, okay, Radu and Catalina found it, hidden behind the walls."

"Bova, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Cat used her sonic powers to bounce sound off the walls, and Radu used his Andromedan hearing to  
determine where the sound that bounced back was hollow, and that's where the secret room was!" Bova shouted.

"Radu will hear us!" Rosie exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ahmed kept leading them deeper and deeper into the cave system; a chain of interconnected caverns that were linked by pools of crystal blue lakes.

"Did you hear something?" Radu asked, as Ahmed led them to the shore of the biggest lake yet, it was so wide across that he couldn't even see the far shore.

"Nah?" Harlan replied, as he started to yawn.

"Where are Bova and Rosie?" Suzee asked.

"Dunno, they were right behind me," Harlan said.

"Maybe we should wait for them to catch up," Radu said.

"Is it just me, or is Thelma acting weirder than usual," Suzee asked, glancing at the android who had remained silent throughout the entire trek through the caves.

"I think you'd better ask our Guide," Harlan remarked.

Ahmed disappeared from sight for a moment, his form swallowed up by the odd contrasting shadows and pockets of light; he came back with a skiff with a dragon-headed prow, and a set of paddles. He handed the paddles to Radu and Harlan, and indicated with a nod where they were to take their places. Ahmed had Suzee help him push the skiff into the lake.

When it came Thelma's turn the brief splash off water on her ankles seemed to momentarily break her out of her trance, but she still remained silent.

* * *

A while later, Harlan stopped paddling, slapping the water with the narrow end of the wooden stick, he glanced at Radu, whose strokes, a having longer reach were causing them to be out of synch with each other.

"Uh, maybe we could get some kinda groove, Radu. That way we don't end up tipping over into the water," Harlan said.

"Agreed, what's a groove? And as for going into the water, I'm not that eager to find out if we could go swimming here," Radu replied.

Suzee had refused to paddle, stating how it would blister her hands, and now sat in the stern assigned the task of watching out for boulders hidden beneath the waters. She proved very good at it, until her attention wandered, distracted by the glare of the ice walls, causing the wooden hull to screech over the rocks with the sound akin to nails being run down a chalkboard.

Radu winced, unable to cover his sensitive ears while holding onto the paddle.

Harlan almost found out what it was like to go swimming in the like, as the rocking motion caused him to stumbled backward. When he regained his balance Harlan, took one hand of the paddle, and gave Radu a comradely pat on the shoulder. "Hang in there, buddy."

Suzee blushed scarlet, "Sorry about that, guys."

"Hey, it's okay, just don't let it happen again," Harlan grinned.

Ahmed, perhaps forgetting his role as guide, or perhaps just expanding on it, started in on lecture mode, explaining how some legendary Bariellan explorers had discovered the caves. Those first explorers had come across animal  
skeletons that had once inhabited the caves.

"Patience, my friends, we shall arrive at our destination soon. In the meantime, admire the view, the most beautiful part of the caves are the lakes and stream passages which are accessible only by boat," Ahmed sighed, trailing his tapered  
fingers in the water. "The calcite barriers that hold back the lakes that make Kirzna Jama are unique because of the calcium carbonate that is carried into the waters of two streams sinking all the way to the bottom." Ahmed took his hands out of the water and came away with them glittering with silver dust.

The flare of a torch glittered back at them, as it reflected from walls of ice, the vaulting-ceiling overhead that was blue-streaked with silver rimed with a million stars. Trying to stare up at it, proved impossible, since all they got for their efforts where stiff necks. The chamber was enormous, the waterfall, a frozen spray, whose endless, changeless flow had worn a white groove in the rock of the cave, giving them the impression that it had grown directly out of the water.

"It's beautiful," Suzee whispered wistfully.

"Yeah, but why did you bring us here," Harlan demanded, trying to hold back tears, himself.

"I have my reasons, young man. And rest assured I intend to keep my end of the bargain," Ahmed tossed over his shoulder.

"What bargain?" Radu demanded.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Madam, if you will?" Ahmed insinuated his arm into Thelma's and together they strode towards and ice-rimmed crevasse in the center of the cave they had entered. Harlan, Suzee, and Radu scrambled forward to peer over the age. They watched Thelma and Ahmed descend into the shaft. A few seconds later they began  
sliding down. Ahmed, all the while maintaining his grip on her hand. Once they reached the bottom, Ahmed snapped his fingers wit the same silver dust outlining his palm.

* * *

"No reward is without cost, no prize so great its takes precedence over other needs. Take this lesson into your secret heart," Ahmed whispered to Thelma.

Thelma nodded, "I am prepared."

Ahmed released her hand and removed a miniature silver hammer from his pocket, holding it pinched between his fingers. He gave the walls of the well a few experimental taps producing a pinging echo that reverberated through the cave like an entire orchestra of instruments.

Ahmed smiled in satisfaction then tapped Thelma's logic crystal with the hammer, which caused a flurry of sparks, "Phantom quartz," he absently remarked, tapping each of the four-sided pyramid in a series of repeated patterns, once, twice, which made the crystal vibrate, as the jagged crack which had caused sporadic malfunctions ever since, sealed up, the dark layers of green and black vanished. Thelma's logic crystal was once more whole; the pyramid spiral arrangement was whole with no discoloration.

Ahmed then produced a rope from thin air, and threw it upwards, Harlan and Radu hauled them back up.

* * *

On the return trip across the lake, they found Bova and Rosie sitting around a small campfire, she'd used flammable moss and ignited with her heat power. Bova, paced around and shivered, He'd stated earlier, that even if there had been a boat, there was no way she was making him cross the lake. Rosie, on seeing the others, leapt up and embraced everyone, including Ahmed. She then stepped backwards and gave each a quick inspection. They seemed all right.

"No worse for wear, note to self, have the Christa gave them a full medical scan," she thought.

Suddenly Rosie gasped in astonishment when she saw Thelma who had again changed color. Just like when they had crash-landed on the jungle planet, at that time she'd been chipped gold like the ship, then become silver, now she was white with black highlights, like the cave and her logic crystal no longer had a crack in it.

"What happened to you?" Rosie gasped.

"Do not worry, Rosie. I am operating at optimum performance and we can now return to the Christa," Thelma replied.

"Man, Goddard is going go ballistic when he hears about this," Harlan muttered loudly, then cringed as the echoes of his voice bounced back to him. "Let's get outta here."

No one felt inclined to argue with him, instead Ahmed led the way up a flight of stone steps then through a crack in the wall. They clambered through and emerged on the other side, where they saw a sight that absorbed the shock and strangeness of the past hours. Below the ledge they were standing on, was the spaceport where the Christa was docked.

Not bothering to wait for Ahmed, they made a mad dash off the slope and ran to the ship.

* * *

Conclusion

"I don't believe in wish-fulfillment scenarios. And I would have thought our recent experience with the Laumes would have clued you guys into that Ahmed was trouble," Suzee sniffed, she had caught a cold while down in the caves. She snuffled and sipped the warm broth Rosie had made for her. She squirmed around a bit for a more comfortable position on the circular couch in the Team Room.

"Well, we couldn't have repaired Thelma's logic crystal ourselves, so maybe Ahmed did us a favor," Radu said, brushing back a stray lock of hair away from his eyes.

"He didn't have to be so sneaky and devious about it," Harlan complained.

"You ask me, the whole thing was a scam," Bova added, then glared at Harlan, "Devious, huh? I guess it takes one to know one," he muttered, then turned his attention back to his own meal, when his teasing dig failed to penetrate Harlan's preoccupied stare. _Maybe he's given up playing_ _practical jokes on people, especially when he can't get away with it _

"I mean, I don't see any harm in it, not serious harm anyway. He was trying to help us," Rosie added.

"Now that her logic crystal is fixed, this is supposed to be an improvement?" Bova asked.

"I guess so, ever since it was cracked," Radu began.

"Why are you staring at me? It was an accident," Harlan muttered, and went back to punching the seat cushions with his fork. _Maybe this is my entire fault, I should have taken more responsibility,_ _I should have seen through Ahmed's scam. _

"Well, it if make you all feel better, the Commander and Miss Davenport gave Thelma a full diagnostic. Except for the change in coloration, she's fine," Rosie said, yawning. "I'm exhausted. G'night, guys, I'm going to sleep."

"That's the first sensible thing anyone has said all day," Bova jumped up and followed Rosie to the bunkrooms.

The End

* * *


	4. Chapter 4 King of Wishful Thinking

**Disclaimer:** Space Cases and all related characters are the property of CISNAR and  
Nickelodeon network, created by Bill Mumy and Peter David. They are not mine.  
I am only borrowing them. They will be returned intact after the story. Title inspired by the 1992 GO WEST song from "Indian Summer.  
Takes place directly after "**Glimmerings.**'

**"King of Wishful Thinking" by Karen**

Commander Goddard slid out from underneath the scanner console too quick and groaned in pain as his head made contact with the metal shelf that extended from it. He inched all the way out then set aside the magnetic wrench he had used to tweak the image resolution interface. He stood up and absently brushed dust off his uniform. After that, he combed his fingers through his sandy, crew cut hair. _You'd think I was getting ready for an inspection by a superior officer;_ _not running general belated maintenance checks on the ship" _he absently thought.

"Thelma," he called. At least he no longer jumped every time the shipboard android puttered up out of nowhere when she was summoned.

"Yes, Commander," Thelma replied, standing at stiffly erect attention.

"Run a diagnostic on these systems and check the phase variance," he paused to check the notations on his Compupad by 111.87 millimeters."

"Acknowledged," Thelma responded and bent over the scanner console, her eyes rolling back until the whites showed. Her interface with the Christa's computer systems allowed her to filter the information required in a matter of minutes and process the results. "What does that work out to?"

'While_ I appreciate not having to repeat instructions to Thelma several times over._  
_Was it worth it? I wonder if that Ahmed character was scamming us," _Goddard reflected.

With the repair to her logic crystal by Ahmed on Barril IV, the download took only about 30 seconds. Having completed the scan, Thelma straightened up, her pale blue irises shimmered with a new alert spark in them, "Thelma, are you all right?"

"I am fine, Commander. And the to answer your first question in the order it was received, the phase variance has been modified to fit within established parameters," Thelma replied.

"I guess that does it for now," Goddard replied, smiling inwardly at Thelma's rare attempt at making a joke. Whatever Ahmed had rystal, now that it was whole, apparently hadn't done anything to increase her understanding of either humor or sarcasm. However, he determined to worry about it later.

Goddard went in search of the only other adult aboard and found Miss Davenport in the team room contemplating a canvaspropped up on a metal easel. She held the paintbrush poised over a foreground square. A dab of blue paint drying on the stiff bristles with several other colors dotting the smock she had thrown over her gray jump suit.

Goddard absently noted that the smudge made a wonderful contrast to her red hair, which framed her face and hid her blue eyes. _Those eyes were probably her best features._ _Good thing I'm not one of her students. No wonder Bova squirms every time he gets_ _pinned with TJ's disapproving teacher, icy blue gaze," _Goddard inwardly smiled to himself, at the image and mentally rehearsed the short speech he had been composing on his way to the Team Room.

"Miss Davenport," Goddard began, trying not to laugh when he noticed that she had a smear of blue paint on her chin. He crossed the room and tried to unobtrusively peer over her shoulder to get a glimpse of the picture that was taking form on the canvas.

She glided to one side, then struck a meditative pose, one finger on her chin, getting a different perspective on the work in progress.

"Hmm, perhaps I should have used acrylics instead of oils. What do you think?"

He came around and looked at her work, apparently she had been trying to recreate the lake they had found on the planet they had jokingly referred to as the 'pinball', mentally laughing at themselves for taking Harlan's description for the official  
ship's logs,

And that was only after the Laumes had agreed to restore the Christa back to its original form after giving it a humanoid avian form. Aside from that, she had been working on a landscape of the lake where they'd had enjoyed a rare of moment of rest and relaxation, and shared a picnic together.

The lake was enclosed by a shallow valley, done in soft beige, lined by a ring of trees. The sandy beach that encircled the lake was a sparkling white that she had used a gypsum paste to recreate with lifelike detail. In the foreground were two people  
on a red and white checkered blanket. Their faces were turned away from the viewer.

She had painted the water a navy blue, but apparently wasn't quite satisfied  
with how it had turned out, given the evidence on her smock and on the smudge on her left cheek was any indication.

"I don't know much about art, but I know what I like, and just as a rule of thumb;  
go with what works," Goddard grinned, indicating the painting, "and that works."

"Commander," she replied, "I have given your suggestion, that the crew take advantage of our down time. Now that I think about it, makes sense given that we will aboard this ship for a long time. After talking to Rose, I have discovered painting is a very soothing form of relaxation," she remarked.

"That isn't what I wanted to talk about, but it does lead into it. Why don't we sit down, "  
Goddard invited, seating himself on the circular couch. She placed the paintbrush on the bottom tray of the easel, then sat down across from him.

"Yes, Commander," she replied.

"T.J, this is strictly off the record, and the kids are all busy elsewhere. You can call me Seth."

"Very well, Seth," she smiled, then blushed.

"You see, I've been thinking, don't laugh," he said mock severely when he saw her blue eyes crinkle up around the edges, "I do that occasionally..."

"Oh, and here I thought it was 'make it up as I go along," she said.

"Like I was saying, and well, it's like this, "he paused a moment and fished around in the numerous pockets of his uniform, looking for something.

"Hang on, it's here somewhere," ignoring the puzzled look on her face.

When he finally locked onto the small box he had bought on Baril IV.  
He looked up at her again. It was a small glass box, which fit snugly into his palm. He handed it to her, hoping that his nervous feelings  
did not reflect on his face with some foolish grin.

She undid the ribbon that he'd tied around the glass box and watched with  
his heart beating double time as she lifted the lid, and removed the ring from its velvet resting spot.

She nearly dropped the box when she saw the ring. Then she glanced up at him, her surprised first blush eventually giving way to a smile.

"_Okay, here goes." _Goddard stood up from the couch, and sank down on one knee. "Theresa James Davenport... Will you marry me?"

"Seth," she whispered, placing the ring on her finger, "I, never, I mean, of course..." she trailed off.

"I take that's a yes?" he replied.

"Oh, get up. Of course that's a 'yes,'" Davenport laughed, and extended a hand to help him to his feet." Funny isn't it? It's usually you who are keeping me from fainting."

"Well, I guess it works both ways," he replied. He nodded, then looked her in the  
eyes, seeing an answering gleam in them he landed a kiss on her lips, as light as a butterfly, which she returned.

Unnoticed by either of them, was a figure standing at the door to the Team Room, Bova had impatiently waited for them to finish whatever they had been discussing, but from what he had overheard, it sounded dull, and therefore sleep inducing. So, he had dozed off.

However, when heard that last exchange he jerked upright, and whirled around  
to tell the rest of the crew. Whatever it was that he had to come to ask Miss Davenport about their last popquiz, had been completely lost. Stunned and just about bursting to tell someone, anyone, Bova whirled around to find his friends.

* * *

**Interlude**

"You'll never guess what happened!" Bova gasped, as he burst into the girl's bunkroom. Despite himself, he was enjoying a rare moment of happiness, a change from his usual pessimistic outlook. _I wouldn't even have known what this emotion felt like if it hadn't been for_ _Rosie. _

If anyone would understand it would be her.

"Bova," Rosie cried, alarmed, and jumped out of bed. She rushed over him.  
She brought an arm up and placed it on Bova's forehead, worried that her pessimistic friend was flushed and running a fever.

"You're not warm, so I guess you're okay," Rosie muttered, then yawned. She checked the readout on her chronometer on her wrist. She looked up at him, a puzzled frown forming around her mouth. She was about to ask what he was doing up so early, when Bova started in on his explanation.

"No, no, nothing like that," Bova waved a hand in the air in Rosie's general vicinity,  
then paused a few minutes to regain his breath, having winded himself running from the Team Room. He narrowly missed colliding with Harlan and Radu, who were on their way to take watch in the Command Post.

"What's going on?" she added, stuffing her gloved hands into the pockets of her gray jump suit. She glanced over at the other bunk where Suzee was still sound asleep.

"Do you think we should wake her up, she just came in from an all night session with a really stubborn fuselage in engineering."

"Are you kidding? This can't wait? Bova said, marching over to Suzee's bunk and  
yanked the sheets out from underneath her. Rosie failed to stifle a giggle as she  
watched Suzee roll off the bunk and onto the floor. Her rainbow-streaked hair fell over her face in tangled snarls. _Always wanted to try that with a tablecloth, I guess sheets will work just as well._" He grinned inwardly_, the Great Bovalini, that's me_."

Grrr. "Suzee said, waking up. 

"Suzee, wake up," Bova urged.

"Why?" Suzee growled.

"Get dressed, I want to tell everyone at the same time," Bova replied.

"We'll wait for you outside," Rosie added.

"Okay, okay, This had better be good," Suzee muttered and began gathering up her things.

Hey, guys, how's it going?" Suzee asked as she emerged from the jump tubes and onto the bridge.

"Glad you asked, a whole lotta of nothing and more nada on top of that," Harlan yawned, wondering if someone had used one of his classic practical jokes and glued his palms to the helm. "They probably did too. Usually I'd be mad, but it's the only thing holding me up  
right now. Why does Goddard have to assign us watch so early?"

"Hi," Radu replied, taking his eyes of the navigation console to wave to the newcomers, not even bothered by Harlan's sour comments, having had to endure them for the last three hours. 

"Well, Mr. Sourpuss, this ought cheer you up, "Suzee grinned.

"I found out, so I get to tell everyone," Bova added.

"You'd better let him tell, Suzee, Bova has a very low threshold of happiness, and if he doesn't let it off soon, he'd probably burst."  
Rosie giggled and ignored Bova's scowl. "Well, this is gonna blow your mind," Bova began..

"Let'em have it, Bova. They're in no danger of having their minds spontaneously combust Suzee teased.

"Oh, you," Rosie blushed.

"I was just kidding," Suzee blushed, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"Well, as I was saying, before I was interrupted, is that," Bova sucked in lungful of air, "is, Commander Goddard proposed to Miss Davenport today!" Bova rattled off all in one breath.

"He did what?" Harlan gasped, and tore his hands away from the helm,  
which caused the ship to swerve abruptly to the left. It sent everyone, except Radu, caroming around the bridge.

"Harlan!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Geez, lighten up," Harlan griped.

"You mean, Miss D, she's going to be, Mrs. Goddard," Rosie gasped after the shock wore off.

"Yup," Bova said and leaned up against his station, and crossed his arms  
over his chest, with the knowledge that his news had been delivered. Now he could relax.

"Okay, here's what we do," Harlan remarked, rubbing his hands together.

"This had better not be one of your schemes," Suzee said, glaring at Harlan.

"Look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Bova complained.

"Come on. Cut me some slack here," Harlan griped. "This calls for a celebration, and I'm talking the works. A full-blown surprise party! The works: Cake and decoration, tinsel, and presents, " he cocked his head to one side as if thinking something through,

Then he glanced at everyone," Okay maybe not presents, since we don't have any money and it's not like we can just go somewhere and find some. Anyway, If we start right away, we can have everything done by 1600 hours!"

"That's a great idea!'" Rosie exclaimed, "And instead of buying presents, we could make some handmade cards or something, I think silver and white with maybe the Star Academy symbol would be the perfect color scheme. I mean, we could all  
pitch in, and assign each person one area to cover for the party!"

"You'll use any excuse to have a party," Bova yawned.

"That makes sense," Radu said, leaving his station, adding "I was referring to Rosie's suggestion that we all take one area to cover," when he saw Harlan open his mouth ready with a half formed protest.

"In that case, I'll be in charge of catering, stuff like food, drinks, and the cake," Suzee remarked

"I'll help Suzee with the catering," Radu said, "for set up and supply stuff."

"You can't bake, Suzee." Rosie giggled, winking at Bova, "Remember that time we made a cake for Miss Davenport, and you drank all the vanilla extract. And we used glue by accident as a substitute?" Bova winced, recalling the instant, and not fondly.

"It's not engineering, it's just following a recipe. How tough can it be?" Suzee shrugged.

"I'll handle the decorations, and Bova can help me," Rosie said, she nudged him with her elbow as Bova rolled his eyes and yawned.

"Since it was my idea, I'll be in charge of supervising," Harlan announced.

"Yeah, right," Suzee complained.

"Well, we can't stand around here arguing about it, "Radu said.

"Radu's right, I can't wait to get started on the decorations and the invitations!" Rosie exclaimed, dragging a reluctant, tired Bova by an elbow and she half-tugged him through the jumptubes.

"I think we should profit by example," Suzee laughed, "Come on, Radu," as they left the Command Post also.

"Hey! Guys! Wait up! You can't just leave me here; I'll need Thelma to cover helm. "And..." Harlan muttered as he found himself addressing the metal wall of the bridge. "How am I supposed to be in charge of supervising, huh?"

* * *

**Meanwhile,**

"How long have we been at this?" Reaver complained, breaking the silence on the bridge where he had been inspecting a recent shipment they'd 'acquired' on trading planet that had proved easier to get into then get off it. As a result, Reaver had been forced to do a complete retrofit of the ship's systems. "You could lend a hand," Reaver grunted, adjusting a manifold on conduit linking up the bridge with the exhaust manifolds in the engine room.

Ubi didn't comment, since the feline like metamorph and partner, was busy doing handstands on the armrest of the captain's chair.

"Long enough," a woman's voice interrupted. She swiveled around in the navigator's chair, her long legs crossed. She'd been observing the moving star field outside the ship's view screen.

She wore her black hair in a simple braid held up with silver stays, and a close fitting lavishly embroidered jacket.

"You should have thought of that before we went in for the gel packs," she commented, lunging forward in the chair and snatching Ubi's tail where it dangled within reach. The rings on her hand glinted in the dim interior lighting, the hoops in her ears jangled. She kept one hand on Ubi's tail, with the other she reached for one of the bone-handled knifes she kept in her boots.

Ubi screeched in feline indignation and promptly telemorphed back to his quarters.

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" she coyly asked, arching one golden brown eyebrow.

"Antonia," Reaver warned. "Put that away," he gestured towards the knife.

"Save your energy. Once the ship's repaired we can both have our revenge."

Reaver got up off the floor where he'd been consulting the owner's manual for the Barillean ion glides they'd recently 'acquired' and added to his pirate ship. 'When I'm through with you, Goddard, you won't even know what hit you." Reavergrinned, to reveal a set of broken, but gleaming white teeth. "Chase me halfway across the Galaxy. Almost start a war; and all your superiors did was slap your wrist, make you promise to be a good boy from now on. Then they demote, you and saddle you with teaching a bunch of Star academy reject kids. Well, the worst is yet to come!"

"Very well," Antonia replied, and shrugged. "I'll go check the engine room. Signal me via the intercom when you've finished running the diagnostics."Reaver, you think I'm helping you get revenge on Seth, just because I like you and your devil-may-care ways, which I do, but this is personal and if you think you can cut me out of the deal, you're wrong, dead wrong."

"I trust you have other methods of making a point without resorting to sharp objects." Reaver was only half joking as he issued

that warning to her. H watched her retreating figure pass through the mechanical door that slid apart to permit her exit,and then closed behind her with a soft whoosh.

Goddard and Davenport entered the Team Room, nearly tripping over the silver  
streamers that Rosie and Suzee had strung up over the entryway. Harlan and Bova stood behind a table loaded with a punch bowl and about ten platters of a variety of food and drink. Bova hovered over the cucumber sandwiches and Harlan was trying to hold him back.

Radu and Suzee stood in front of the computer screen in the wall trying to  
coax piped in music from the ship's computer and arguing in low voices over the merit of Earther songs that were appropriate for the 'occasion.'

"Maybe it would be better if we asked Harlan since he's from Earth".

"Anybody have any idea what Miss D likes in instrumental music?" Radu added.

"Maybe we could have the computer list some titles we could use instead," Rosie said.

"Oh NO!" Suzee cried, "Not the recordings of Rosie's zither practices!"

Rosie looked up from the table where they had finished laying out the presents, and involuntarily bristled when she heard the comment on her brief venture into music. However, her sunny Mercurian nature shrugged it off. She went back to  
straightening the tablecloths she had draped over the tables and chairs Radu and Harlan had arranged.

"Seth, would you look at this place? Are you sure we're in the right place? The note did say 1600 hours?" Davenport laughed.

"The Christa isn't that big a ship, how do these rumors spread," he sighed, and  
mock glared at the crew, who kept remarkably straight faces, as if they had been caught breaking the rules. A few seconds of standing at attention and saluting broke down when, as one they shouted, "Surprise!"

"The kids went to a lot of trouble to put this together, T.J, I guess the only thing to do is humor them and enjoy the party," Goddard grinned. "It's not like I was going to give them grief for A, knowing that I proposed, or B, for throwing a surprise party for us."

"Agreed," Davenport nodded as they both walked around and thanked the kids for the party.

Rosie came over and led them to a table to seat them, then brought over a plate  
that she had prepared with the finger cucumber sandwiches, and cold meats and cheeses. After that she went to the punch bowl and brought them two drinks.

The party was in full swing and several hours had passed before anyone noticed that the music cut out with a static electric growl, like the sound of an oxygen leak. That background noise replaced bythe high-pitched whine of a laser torch cutting through the door. Radu was forced to clap his hands over his sensitive Andromdean ears. When it subsided, the last person in the quadrant whom Goddard wanted to be reacquainted with strutted through the door's remainders.

"Reaver," Goddard growled under his breath, glancing towards the entrance.

"Well, well, if it isn't Reaver the space Pirate, school dropout, and world class thief and cheat," Davenport mocked.

"I still owe you for this, " Reaver said by way of greeting, ignoring her. He stroked  
jagged scar that marked one side of his face; it gave him a perpetual scowl, unless that was his regular expression.

Standing behind him was a woman dressed in a style that Suzee would call a major 'fashion alert,'

"Antonia," Goddard gasped, nearly choking on his water, causing it to  
splatter on his uniform. When he got his breath back, he began chewing his lip,  
"This, I do not need. Wonder where Reaver dug her up. Probably some penal colony."

"Who is she?" Davenport demanded, indicating the woman. She was cut off as Reaver roughly grabbed and tied her to her chair. "No fair, intervening," he mocked her.

"Someone I never expected to see again. Someone that I'd written off as dead."

"Ah, Man," Harlan griped, "Who knew the Commander was holding back on some  
juicy tidbits from his past. Hey, at least he had good taste," Harlan remarked inspecting the woman who accompanied the space pirate and the telemorph, Ubi.

His remark earned him an icy glare from Miss Davenport and pinning glare from Goddard.

Harlan cringed and dropped his gaze to the floor, his dusky skin turning a shade  
pale at his occasional ill-timed outbursts. Harlan nearly choked on his punch, and stumbled forward, causing the liquid to splatter onto his jump suit. He quickly recovered his balance "Man, since when did Reaver start looking like a parrot, and who's that with him

"And today started out a such a 'nice' day," Rosie sighed.

Bova glanced at the door and noted with interest that the ship's repair systems were already at work to repair the damage.

Suzee brushed a stray lock of hair away, and made eye contact with the space pirate,  
as her own began glowing purple, then tried to sift through the layers of his mind,  
telepathically probing for the reason of his return 'visit. Her concentration broke when the woman shoved past Reaver and glared sidelong at her.

Reaver swung a back handed blow and knocked Suzee several feet away, where she landed in a heap on the floor.

Rosie immediately rushed over and placed a hand on her throat, checking for the pulse, it was faint but steady, Bova crouched behind the punch bowl, wondering if he should get involved, and whether an electric shock was called for. Taking into  
account that 'discretion was the better part of valor,' he decided to adopt a 'wait and see' strategy.

Radu made a grab for Reaver's out flung arm, but just when his fingers were just  
about to close on Reaver, he felt someone grab him from behind. He struggled against the grip, but he couldn't break free.  
Whoever it was, turned him around so that they faced each other, and he found himself staring into the topaz silted eyes of  
Reaver's companion, the telemorph, Ubi.

"Don't bother getting involved, Andromedan. This is a personal matter of honor," Ubi purred.

"What does someone like Reaver know about honor?" Radu demanded.

"Honor among thieves," Ubi purred in reply.

Goddard took a three sixty inspection of his crew, it only took a matter of few  
seconds to determine that they were reasonably intact. He felt torn between  
his oath as a Stardog, when he overheard the exchange between Radu and Ubi.Hang honor, Reaver never did know the meaning of the word.

Goddard badly wanted to sock Reaver right in the mouth, just to see the look on his face. The last time they 'met' Reaver had captured the crew and was going to hijack the Christa, then sell them to the Spung. He'd gotten the better of Reaver then, but in the back of his mind, he knew Reaver wouldn't let bygones be bygones.

Goddard figured Reaver was playing a game of one-upmanship; game or not,  
One that he couldn't afford to lose. As for Antonia, Damn inconvenient when one's old  
flame shows up at the exact time you propose to another woman. How did they  
find out? And what's more is some cosmic entity playing some kind of practical  
joke on me? Or is this just more bad luck situation in a long string of bad luck situations?

"I see you've still got those" Goddard commented, " pointing at the daggers,"

"I don't suppose you recall the moment we got them, those were the highlights of our time together, Seth. It's such a pity that I now have to use them against you."

"I really didn't think I'd ever see you again, Antonia. And if it makes you feel any better, I really did search for you after we were separated at  
Palladium."

"I gave up the search after the reports from the war came back that listed you as dead," Goddard tried reasoning with her, one hand inching for the dagger that she had lowered, and was thoughtfully tapping against it one leg.

"Lovely, are we go to wallow in nostalgia, Antonia, or are we here for revenge", Reaver interrupted. I

"It really is a shame that I'm going to kill you, Seth. It could've been magic," Antonia calmly remarked, as the knife leapt from her fingers and hurtled in his direction. The blade grazed his shoulder and clattered to the floor. In a back corner of his mind,  
he could her Reaver's applause and caustic remarks, as he kept the rest of the crew from intervening. I should've thought of selling tickets. There's nothing quite like an estranged lovers' spat.

"Not today, you aren't," Goddard replied, launching himself forward, the need to finally have closure in their relationship released like a coiled spring. He barreled into her and both were knocked to the floor.

"Seth, the years have been good to you. You have that salt and pepper thing going for you, so distinguished. Such a change from when were an 'item," Antonia remarked, ignoring Reaver's instructions. She strode forward with the grace  
of a stalking panther; one of her bone handled daggers in hand.

She twisted like a cat, and broke away from his grip. She stood up and swung  
at him with an upper cut right hook that connected with his cheek. Goddard ignored the pain and thought

'Too bad. Reaver got to her. She would've made at least captain rank in the Stardogs by now. Note to self, from now on; never underestimate your opponent." He tried to use his heavier frame to hold her.

A few moments later, he found himself holding a handful of her hair, as she tore away from him and through the door.

Goddard heaved a sigh, and chased her into the corridor, where he cut her off  
around the corner leading the to the jumptubes, where she was pounding on  
the console that wouldn't respond to the coordinates she had been inputting. He grabbed her around the shoulders and pinned her to the wall. "It's over," there's nowhere left to run, and even if there were, we'd find you," he whispered.

"What are you going to do? Turn us over to authorities? In case you haven't noticed you're the only Stardog in the sector," Antonia replied.

"We're not in 'friendly' space, and I don't acknowledge the Spung as the 'local' authorities," Goddard said, as he cocked his head to one side as if thinking something through. "However, if you call this off, I may just be persuaded to 'look the other way," It's not like we cart a few wanted felons around on the Christa until we get back to the Star Academy."

"Ah, Seth, you always could talk your way out of any situation. Failing that, you could pull a miracle out of your hat at the eleventh hour. All right, you win. It IS Over. Happy now?" Antonia answered.

"Good. I'm glad we understand one another," Goddard replied.

"Oh, so you're just going to dump us off somewhere, in the meantime we'll be cooling our heels in your brig? I don't think so, " she smiled, as Ubi appeared and insinuated his arm between the two of them; Reaver was all but treading on his heels, the trio telemorphed back to their ship.

"And here I thought we would actually have some downtime for a change," Goddard wearily thought, rubbing a hand through his hair, "Life has a way of throwing you a curve ball. I'm just glad that's over. I better go check on the crew. Make sure they're all right."

_

* * *

_

**Conclusion**

"T.J, I don't want you to think that because Antonia showed up, that it in any way changes the way I feel about you.

That was a very long time ago, and that part of my past is exactly that, the past," Goddard explained.

"Chasing Reaver and almost starting a war, wasn't that the 'incident' that caused you to be demoted and reassigned as a teacher in the Star Academy? When we get home, you face what? A court- martial, disgrace?" Davenport whispered, half wishing in the back of her mind that her proper upbringing would allow her to shout at him. She didn't know who she was angrier with; him for not telling her about his past; Antonia for being his 'old flame', spoiling her happiness, or herself.

"You let me worry about that," Goddard replied. "Besides," he shrugged, "Maybe when do return to the Star Academy, the brass will have forgotten all about that incident."

"Reaver apparently haven't conveniently forgotten about it," Davenport muttered.  
"Who know you were such a ladies' man," she laughed, breaking the tense silence that had grown up between them.

"Who knows, some woman like a man in uniform," Goddard laughed.

"I know you don't want to talk about that asp aspect of your life, especially not in front of the kids, but..." she trailed off.

"It's bad for morale," Goddard tried,

"Be serious, Seth," Davenport said.

"I know, I know. It's just like that old saying; those who don't learn from mistakes  
in the past are doomed to repeat them; as applicable as that saying is, I admit  
I've made my share of mistakes. And Antonia, well, let's just say that it felt right  
at the time, but sometimes we do the wrong things for the right reasons."

"Are you still carrying a torch for her?" Davenport demanded.  
"You could have told me before the fact, you know?"

"Don't tell me you're jealous of Antonia?"

"No, not jealous, just angry she tried to ruin things for us," Davenport replied, tugging at the ring band on her finger.

"Not really." Goddard shrugged, "Actually, I never expected to see her again.  
Besides, there's no point in going backwards. Look it at this way, T.J, I proposed  
to you, I offered you my ring, and at this point, that's all that matters. If you still want to. No pressure, mind you. I want you to go forward, and if that's with me, then all we have to do is make a promise to each other."

She leaned forward and placed her hand over his, "To be honest with each other, and go face the future together, I promise, Seth," she whispered, and then kissed him which he returned, after making the same promise to her in return.

_

* * *

_

_**Lyrics, circa 1992 "King of Wishful Thinking by GO WEST**I don't need to fall at your feet  
Just cause you cut me to the bone.  
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me  
We were never carved in stone.  
If I don't listen to the talk of the town then maybe I can fool myself..I'll get over you, I know I will  
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking  
And I'll tell myself I'm over you.  
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking.  
I am the king of wishful thinkingI refuse to give into my blues, that's not how's it's going to be.  
I don't want to let you see... no, that you have made a hole in my heart.  
And now I've got to fool myself...I'll get over you, I know I will  
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking  
And I'll tell myself I'm over you  
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking  
I'll get over you, I know I will  
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking  
And I'll tell myself I'm over you.  
'Cause I'm the King of Wishful ThinkingI will never, never shed a tear for you, I'll get over you.  
I will get over you.  
If I don't listen to the talk of the town then maybe I can fool myself...I'll get over you, know I will  
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking  
And I'll tell myself I'm over you.  
"Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking.  
I'm the king of wishful thinking  
I'll get over you, I know I will  
You made a hole in my heart.  
But I won't shed a tear for you.  
I'll be the king of wishful thinking.  
I'll get over you.  
I'll pretend my heart's still beating.  
"Cause I've got no more tears for you  
I'm the king of wishful thinking  
I'll get over you, I know I will.  
You made a hole in my heart.  
And I'll tell myself I'm over you.  
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking._


	5. Chapter 5 Forget Me Not

Forget-Me-Not By Karen

* * *

_**Disclaimer:** Space Cases and all related characters and concepts belong to Bill Mumy and Peter David. They belong to Nickelodeon, CINAR productions. I am only borrowing them. Hilde, Jarvis, and Deirdre are mine._

* * *

Three years of being trapped in a dimension that wasn't her own, three years of adventure, not exactly misfortune, Suzee tried to imagine what her homecoming would be like. In the back of her mind she knew why it had been necessary to switch places with Catalina., but that didn't make the decision any easier. On that note Suzee couldn't prevent a small 'evil' grin slip out. It had been fun sharing the secret with Catalina, that she wasn't imaginary just invisible. The looks on the rest of the crew's faces when they discovered she was real had been priceless. 

"Being here isn't all that bad," Suzee muttered to herself. " Plus the bonus of learning and working with the Christa's advanced technology and engines,' she said in an undertone. As she did so, she wondered why she bothered with Radu standing a few feet away at his navigation console. She shrugged, deciding it didn't really matter. She was just thinking out loud.

"When I get back home, the first thing I'm going to do, after I see my parents, is submit that paper I've been working on to the Aeronautics Department. Okay, granted my attempt to boost power to the ionglide didn't work, but it's a solid theory. And I've got the proof. I am an engineering genius, after all."

"Reality to Suzee. Is anyone home?" Harlan yelled from his station at helm. Talk about losing it. Suzee's completely spaced out.

"I'm fine," Suzee snapped and pretended to go back to scanning the readouts on her engineering console.

Bova tried to ignore them by closing his eyes, and wondered if he'd somehow managed to get the attention of a cosmic power, that granted your fondest wish and then just when you weren't looking, it went horribly wrong. After all, his home planet's folktales were filled with such supernatural beings; and what other reason was there for being saddled with a couple of people on the same ship for three years who constantly argued with one another over the stupidest reasons?

Just then Rosie emerged from the jumptubes at an awkward angle, and her resultant momentum caused her to stumble and lurch into Harlan who was standing at helm. Taking one hand off the helm, which sent the ship into an abrupt tailspin. Correcting it, he steadied Rosie.

"You okay, Rosie?" Harlan asked.

She didn't reply for a moment, absorbed in catching her breath. When she had, "Guess who's having a party? And we're all invited!"

"Who?" Bova yawned, having finally woken up.

"The Commander and Miss Davenport!" Rosie exclaimed.

* * *

Rosie led the way to the Team Room, with the rest of the crew dutifully following along in her wake, figuring they'd better humor her, since she was liable to burst from sheer exuberance. 

Even Bova, tried to silently cheer himself up, since if the authority figures were throwing a party there would most likely me be some kind of food and beverages involved, and he was always up for that. Besides this current state of blah that I'm feeling is probably some kind of spacer blah that I'm going through. It's probably not too serious.

Radu smiled when he heard Rosie's heartbeat go up several notches, and wondered if somehow she'd been part of the planning committee for the party, and if so, it was becoming difficult for her to wait for the proper moment to tell the rest of them. Rosie had shown a little difficulty in knowing when to keep something secret or not.

Harlan grinned at the thought of getting out of another boring lecture, and it had completely escaped his mind whether or not he had studied for their last midterm exam on hydroponics.

"The Saturian Day of Rejoicing happens to be today," Suzee added, then cocked her head to one side as if thinking something through. "You know, guys. It's been a while since anyone thought about Catalina. Don't look at me that way." She ignored the raised eyebrows she got from Harlan and the glance he exchanged with Radu.

"Day of Rejoicing?" Radu asked. "I remember Cat mentioning something about that. My memory's a little fuzzy since I don't remember much except the teddy bear that Rosie gave me and the dancing at the end..."

"Oh, you're right, Radu! Catalina said they wear colorful clothes and dance, and ring bells. That sounded like fun!" Rosie added.

Once they got to the Team Room they discovered that Rosie hadn't been kidding. The Team Room was decorated in silver and black banners that Miss Davenport had obviously salvaged from the wreckage of the last 'surprise party' and recycled. They'd made use of the Food Wheel and had set out different types of munchies from each of the crew's home worlds, including Catalina's; even though she was technically still trapped in Suzee's dimension.

Miss Davenport and Commander Goddard were seated at the head of a rectangular table with happy smiles plastered on their face.

"I've never heard Miss D laugh like that, being engaged to the Commander must really agree with her. I"m so glad she's happy. Rosie thought wistfully, "I wonder if I'll ever find someone wonderful like that... Rosie moved over towards where they sat, and nervously wondered if it was considered proper protocol, and then decided it's a party and I'm happy they're happy, so why not? and proceeded to give them both a big hug. Then sat down at her place at the table.

Miss Davenport blushed and returned Rosie's hug. "Thank you, Rosie."

Commander Goddard leaned back in his chair with his arms folded behind his back, clearing his throat, he nearly toppled backwards, but managed to right both himself and the chair. "Well..." he asked expectantly of the room in general.

"Congratulations!" everyone said at once, belated but sincere.

"About time," Goddard muttered.

"Seth..." Miss Davenport said mock-reprovingly.

"Hey, are we supposed to drop all sense of protocol just for the sake of a party? " he replied then turned his attention to the crew standing nervously at attention. "Oh for the love of a...at ease already, people, Ttis is a party, relax. Have fun. That's an order."

"Yeah!" Harlan shouted, sitting down, and reaching for the food, and starting in on it.

"You know, I don't think the Commander's ever ordered us to have fun," Rosie trailed off, sitting down and eyeing the hot sauce plate that was sitting in front of her.

"First time for everything," Bova replied, taking the seat opposite her and helping himself to a heaping pile of Urasian delicacies.

"It might be hard for Bova to do that," Harlan remarked.

"Since this seems to be a day for celebrating, I propose a toast," Suzee began, straddling her chair, and raising her glass.

"What's a toast?" Bova asked, around a mouthful of Urusian rice pudding.

"It's not edible, Bova. It's a speech or tribute for someone or something during a celebration," Suzee sighed.

"An excellent suggestion, Suzee. We may want to start something new on the ship, just for special occasions like these. What did you have in mind?" Davenport asked.

"Well, you see, like I was telling everyone just before we got here, today happens to fall on the same day as with the Saturian Day of Rejoicing. And since Catalina's not here I wanted to make a small speech. Bear in mind, that it's not rehearsed. I just wanted to do something special for both your engagement and for Catalina," Suzee explained.

"Oh, here we go again, " Harlan sighed.

"Oh, Harlan, knock it off. I think it's a wonderful idea," Rosie said.

"As I was saying." Suzee continued. "I consider Catalina my best friend, and she's been like a sister to me, and that our relationship is tighter than most, even across dimensions."

"Oh, please! Suzee, and what about the rest of us, huh?" Harlan griped.

"I don't know, but I think it was a nice gesture, Harlan. What's the matter? Don't you even miss Catalina?" Radu said.

"Sure, I miss her, but you don't see me getting all mushy over it," Harlan laughed.

"Work this out," Goddard muttered under his breath, and stood up.

In a louder tone he cleared his throat, and began : "I guess, since we're starting some new traditions around here, I might as

well add something ."

He raised his glass from the table, and picked up his fork and beat it against the glass.

"A toast. Although, when I began my career in the Stardogs, this was never part of the equation. Don't get me wrong, there have been times when I wondered what possible cosmic plan put me on this ship, with this crew. However, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, and I wanted to let you all know, that if I had to do it all over again, I don't know if I'd change anything. With that said, I wanted to say that I feel like a very lucky man that Theresa James Davenport has agreed to go forward not just on this journey we're on, but also to go forward with me personally, as my wife... Okay, that's it... I think.. .."

He sat back down and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Wow.." Harlan spluttered and dropped his glass causing water to splatter all over his uniform. "I think he means it."

"Why, Cmdr, uh Seth, that's nicest and longest speech I think I ever heard you give, and here the Staracadmey thought you couldn't teach,' Miss Davenport smiled.

"I just wonder why Catalina hasn't been in touch with me. I wonder what she's been up to lately..." Suzee muttered to herself.

* * *

_Meanwhile_

Catalina tapped her stylus against the flat surface of her CompuPad. Then blinked a few times at the annoying flashing green prompt. She tried to focus and follow the complex algorithm she was trying to solve. A few moments later, she whacked her stylus against her forehead, which also failed to produce the answer.

"I am not dumb. I know way more than Harlan. Now where did that thought come from.? Grozit, I haven't thought about my friends on the Christa in who knows how long?

"I wonder if it would just be easier to throw the Compupad as far as I can? I bet Suzee never had to take remedial courses."

She let her head droop and yawned, then she could study by osmosis. Before she knew it, her rainbow-streaked head was pillowed on her folded arms, the stylus still clutched in her fingers. As she fell asleep, her last conscious thought: "I've been studying these stupid algorithms all night, a little snooze wouldn't hurt, would it?"

That's how the three strangers found her. One man, and two women. They wore identical black uniforms, each lapel sported a stylized logo divided into two panels: on the left was a violet flower whose petals curved in an upward spiral. The opposite panel was featured a blue scorpion.

"I'm positive. The TIES monitoring system pinpointed this girl." the brunette said, gesturing towards Catalina with a her left hand; in the terminology used by the Commission would be called the 'sinister' side of a shield. Her nails had been painted the same blue shade as the flower one the logos and the badge of rank on her left shoulder. It was symmetrical and presented in graphic from a 'closed universe', suggesting that the nation she represented encompassed everything needed by its citizens for a good and productive life. A wreath of blue flowers surrounded the shield and a scorpion was curled around the top of the shield.

"Hilde," we trust your judgment, it's just that when the Commission appointed us to this particular assignment, we were given a very narrow margin of error," the man said. He was the only member of the trio that was male. He had pale skin, and a shock of flame red hair that he wore in a thick thatch that probably hadn't been cut in weeks. That being the case, he tied it with a black cord dyed a contrasting vertical stripes of black and navy blue, which matched the panels on his logo and the badge of rank on his left shoulder.

"Jarvis, I do not need you to remind me of our responsibilities in this matter," Hilde replied.

"This was almost too easy," the blonde woman remarked as she removed a inlaid wooden box from a hidden pocket in her tunic. The box itself was made out of rare Yensidan wood that came from a protected natural preserve. The box was square and about the size of lady's jewelry box. The ribbon on top of the box had been polished a lighter shade of brown than the rest to provide some contrast.

"There's been no mistake. Her brain wave signals are keyed into our target alternate dimension," Hilde replied. "Proceed, Deirdre."

Deirdre moved purposefully forward and bent over the slumbering Catalina with the wooden box. She shook it slightly and tapped a finger on the surface which produced an aromatic scent and an odd ringing sound from inside. "It seems almost a shame," she whispered, then removed the wooden pin that held the lid in place, slid a panel to one side, and took the ribbon off and removed the lid.

A small scorpion slithered out, its tiny feet rubbing against the metal surface of Catalina's desk with sounded like rubbing sandpaper against cloth. It paused just near to touching Catalina's rainbow-streaked hair. Its tail curled, prepared to strike, grabbing a tendril, it stung her.

Deirdre reached out and tapped the scorpion on its plated back, and lightly coaxed back into the wooden box. When that was done she stuffed the box back into the uniform pocket.

"Bring her," Hilde ordered. "Conscious or not, we'll need her to open the threshold between dimensions and keep it open," Hilde said.

* * *

Later 

"It will work, Commander. I'm positive, " Suzee said.

"Great," Goddard replied. "Why don't you tell me that again after the ship blows up. Then we can all go home as our constituent atoms."

"I wish I'd thought of that," Bova whispered to Rose.

"Hush," Rose whispered back.

"Suzee. You have to understand that we would all love to have Catalina back, but let's face realit. The dimensional barrier can not be breached without causing a chain reaction. It's just isn't possible. I'm sorry," Davenport said.

"Everything's theoretically possible. And I think I've found a way to do it without blowing anything up," Suzee replied.

"Famous last words," Goddard muttered.

"We can do this, all I have to do is create enclosed ionic storm conditions by venting off some off the energy from the Christa's particle accelerators." Suzee explained.

* * *

_At the threshold_

A shockwave hit the ship...then another one, and suddenly the walls of the engineering room split open as if torn from behind them by a terrific force. The occupants of the room were treated to the experience of knowing how the tiny silver ball felt when it was knocked about in a pinball machine.

"Suzee," Commander Goddard muttered...

"That wasn't my doing," Suzee said.

"Then what caused it?" Harlan asked.

"Do you hear that?" Radu asked, cocking his head to one said and absently brushed a stray lock of hair away, as he focused his hearing on a distant but distinctly familiar high-pitched whine coming from somewhere outside the ship. It was distant but it was drawing steadily nearer.

"What is it?" Goddard asked.

"Well, Sir, I'd say it's a sonic scream?" Radu replied, instinctively clapping his hands over his sensitive ears.

When it subsided a breach in the dimensional barrier appeared in the walls of the Christa. It was more as if a bridge had been erected created from the energy vortices that connected their two dimensions; made out of sound and starlight.

Three upright figures stood poised at the rim of a chasm, with a fourth draped over the shoulders of another.

"I can find out who they are," Suzee said, her eyes glowing purple, but before her telepathic form could traverse the threshold to the other side she ran into an invisible wall.

"How positively annoying," Hilde remarked, snapping her fingers in Suzee's general direction causing her to collapse limply onto the floor of the engineering room.

"Cat!" Harlan shouted and leapt across the invisible bridge, where he landed on the rim and nearly succeeded in somersaulting backwards.

"Mr. Band! What do you think you're doing," Goddard shouted.

"Saving Cat," Harlan replied over his shoulder.

Catalina regained consciousness, disoriented and tired, and discovered that she was being carried like a sack of potatoes over the shoulders of man with auburn shoulder-length hair, who heaved her up and over, and placed her on her feet, his hand resting on her shoulder.

Catalina shook her head, her rainbow-streaked her getting into her eyes. She felt awful, dizzy, and very confused. She didn't know where she was or why she felt threatened by these people, and why she felt inclined to defend herself from them. Responding to the Catalina opened her mouth and let out a high-pitched sonic scream directly at Harlan.

Harlan, caught in the sights of some strange hand weapon, three unknown hostiles standing at the edge of chasm. He did not have any direction in which to turn. He was caught by the sonic scream and sent hurtling across the chasm backwards.

"Radu," Goddard said,

"I got him," Radu replied, resisting the urge to clap his hands over his ears, and caught his crew-mate.

"Why did Cat attack me?" Harlan whispered to Radu.

Rosie ran over to them, and knelt down next to Harlan, doing as quick as through of a medical scan as she could without any medical instruments or her Compupad.

"I think Harlan's okay. His hearing might be impaired for a while and his eardrums burst, it was just the shock of a close range sonic scream,"

Hilde moved up to the edge and gently nudged Catalina to one side. "I wish to speak to your Commander Goddard!" she shouted, her brown hair fluttering out behind, her blue cape spreading out like a pair of giant wings.

"What do you want?" Goddard demanded.

"Her!" Hilde replied, pointing directly at where Suzee was leaning against the wall.

"Seth, if they're from Yensid, then maybe they've gone to all this trouble to take Suzee back where she belongs, to take her home," Davenport whispered.

"You think?" Goddard whispered back to her.

"You don't have any options, Commander Goddard. From what we've been able to determine thus far, you're far from being a stupid man, " Deirdre added. "I'm sure you can see for yourself, that we've got the upperhand."

"Let me get this straight," Goddard said. "What you're proposing is a switch? You want to exchange Catalina for Suzee."

"Exactly," Hilde nodded.

"We'll have to switch places again," Catalina said.

"Right, it might be the only way to maintain the balance." Suzee said, moving forward from where she was leaning up against the wall. She hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath. She bit her lips and tried not to look back at the rest of the crew. Then she began crossing the invisible bridge.

On the opposite side, Jarvis, gently but firmly escorted Catalina across as well. They met in the middle, where they made the exchange, and Catalina and Suzee hugged, sobbing into each other's rainbow-streaked hair.

"It's nice to see you two finally came to your senses," Hilde remarked, her arms folded across her chest, then ordered Jarvis to separate them.

"Keep going, kids," Jarvis said to Catalina, as he back-pedaled to the his side of the bridge, keeping one hand on Suzee to make sure she didn't try to bolt.

"You're going to let this happen?" Davenport whispered.

"We all knew Suzee would have to return to her own dimension eventually," Goddard replied as he moved forward to help Catalina onto the Christ. "I don't see if I have we have a choice in the matter right now."

As soon as both girls had swithced dimensions another shockwave hit the ship and made the bridge crumble. This time it didn't last as long and nothing on the ship blew up. The energy vortex swirled around in dance of sound and light, and then the breach sealed itself. The last thing anyone saw was Suzee waving and silently voicing something that anyone without Andromedan hearing wouldn't have been able to catch, but this was what Radu heard:

"Don't worry! I'll never forget you guys! I think I've figured it out! I'll be in touch!..." Suzee trailed off, and then she was and the other three were gone.

* * *

_Conclusion_

"Incoming transmission," Rose announced. "It's from Suez in Yens.

"On screen," Goddard ordered, as the Christa's computers complied with the verbal direction and the screen pixels resolved themselves into Suzee's image. In the time it had taken her to return to her own dimension, seal the breach at the threshold, and go home to tell her family where she'd been for three years; she had also managed to change clothes. She was wearing the same blue jumpsuit she'd had one when she originally switched dimensions with Catalina that first time.

"Hi, guys. It's me. How about that? All that fuss and nothing on the ship blew up,' Suzee remarked.

"Oh, come off it, Suzee. You were just as worried and scared as the rest of us. So, you don't have to be so smug," Catalina countered.

"I've done some research on the people who kidnapped Catalina. They're part of a rogue police force called TIES; which stands for Telepathic Investigation Espionage Symposium," Suzee explained.

"Is there a Yensid legal authority where we can turn them in?" Goddard asked.

"Possibly. I'm checking it out. In the meantime..."

"I don't think they're even from Yensid. Apparently this TIES group contracted them to act as a rogue law enforcement agents," Catalina interrupted.

"Like deputies," Harlan nodded. "But there's one thing I don't understand. Don't look at me that way. Why would they erase Catalina's memory?"

"Grozit. From what I've been able to figure out, they had some half-baked idea that because since Suzee and I were able to communicate between dimensions..."

"Because our brainwaves are on the same wavelength," Suzee interrupted.

"That would upset the natural balance; so they wiped Catalina's memory so wouldn't' be able to, or even have want to communicate with anyone on the Christa."

"Does that mean, you're still be invisible in this dimension?" Harlan asked.

"No, I'll be able to communicate with anyone on the Christa now via normal subspace since I ah 'liberated' the same technology that TIES used to spy on you guys. With modifications of course," Suzee grinned.

"Of course," Goddard replied.

"I don't like the idea that just anyone could spy on us," Davenport mused.

"I'll talk you through the installation process," Suzee added.

"So, everything's okay now?" Rosie hopefully asked.

"Yeah, Rosie, everything's just fine," Suzee smiled, then her image faded off the screen.

END

* * *


End file.
